New Span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Opens!

Today I had the honor to help open the new span of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge connecting Virginia and Maryland.  It was a truly great event, and I want to congratulate all those who helped make the bridge’s construction possible.  Senator John Warner should really be called the godfather of the new bridge, as for more than two decades, his dogged determination and persistent pressure moved concrete, steel, and more than a few minds to get the bridge completed.  Today, it stands as a tribute to his proud legacy of public service on behalf of Virginia and the nation.

Many Federal Highway Administration employees and contractors from the DC Metro Area also worked incredibly hard for so long on this wonderful project.  I know what a proud day this is for all of them, and I thank them for their great service.

It’s an interesting historical coincidence that the decision to build the original bridge in President Wilson’s name was made the very same year that President Eisenhower signed the landmark Highway Act that gave birth to the Interstate Highway System. 

For almost 40 years, the old bridge carried more traffic than its designed capacity.    Commuters sat in rush-hour bridge backups that stretched deep into Maryland and Virginia, and the Wilson Bridge became known as one of the most notorious chokepoints for freight and travelers headed up and down the East Coast on I-95.

Over the same time period, our approach to funding and building transportation infrastructure became just as obsolete. The 21st Century has given us the ability to complete more large-scale projects like this one in years, not decades.  In addition to the record amount of federal dollars we’re putting into the transportation today, the private sector has over $400 billion ready to invest in infrastructure.

Virginia is already taking advantage of the powerful combination of open road tolling and private capital to finance and accelerate major projects.  There is no reason why every state in the nation cannot join them.

I’d like to think the dedication of the new Wilson Bridge will mark a turning point.  Today should be remembered not only as the day we welcome a new bridge, but as the day we say good bye to the old way of building mega transportation projects.

So as we celebrate, let’s look forward to a future where opening these types of grand, new bridges is not an unusual event, but an everyday part of the fabric of American life.

-Secretary Peters

Comments

[M Siffer]

Secretary Peters
I did not read anything about the role the failure of a gas tax was in the construction of this bridge or the number of earmarks Senator Warner secured to get the project built. Since you have been such a strong critic of the current system of funding transportation I find it odd that you would congratulate the system today.

As an engineer that is dependent on consistant funding for my livelihood I hope that the Congress will work to fund a complete surface transportation bill with realistic means that will not completely set aside a funding mechanism that has built the entire Interstate Highway system over the last 50 years.

[Amit Siddhartha]

Thank you, Secretary Peters, for the excellent comments. I did visit DC last year, and the ongoing construction of the new Wilson bridge marked a sense of hope for harried commuters like yours truly.
That day indeed has arrived with fanfare. I am thankful to our Administration, and the powerful leadership of President Bush, Senator Warner, and of course you, that culminated in this wonderful new landmark for all DC area residents, as also the global visitors to the capital.
I fully agree that new methods of PPP, open road tolling and private capital, combined with real inflation-adjusted funding of Federal Highway Trust Fund is the only way forward for 21st century American mobility. Highways and free mobility are as much part of our American heritage as is our tradition of excellence, innovation, freedom and believe in can-do attitude. I am confident that such sustained initiatives will always keep America where it must always be. Right at the TOP.
Secretary Peters, Thanks for your Blog insights. Look forward to more such comments.
P.S: Ma'am, please do also create a dedicated photo gallery section on your blog, with ceremony and other completed projects photos compilation. That will make the Blog more glitzy,illustrative, and informative!!
All the Best, and God Bless America!!

[jeff]

Secretary Peters,

While the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge should help alleviate congestion in the DC metro area, it is a bit unfair to say it is 'open' when bike and pedestrian access is not finished, and their facilities are being used as a staging area for paint crews. While this may mark a new day in the way we build and fund transportation projects, we still continue to live in the past in the way we treat non-motorized roadway users.