The New Arboretum Bridge and Trail

A pedestrian bridge across the Anacostia River is needed to provide direct pedestrian and bicycle access to the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and the National Arboretum. The anticipated bridge design is a 390-foot, four-span structure with a 75’-120’-120’-75’ span arrangement spanning over the existing seawalls on both sides of the river. An anticipated bridge width of 14-feet is expected to allow for two-way bicycle traffic with a buffer to accommodate pedestrians and bystanders on the bridge. The design of the bridge will be completed in consultation with the DC HPO and will undergo review by the Commission of Fine Arts and the National Capital Planning Commission. This is essential so that the bridge design reduces potential, adverse impacts to the cultural landscapes and the view shed of the vicinity.

Our team used Bridge Information Modeling (BrIM) in tandem with design visualization animations to clearly convey the concept to DDOT and gain acceptance from our stakeholders.