Bridge Reopening Celebrated By Arlington, Alexandria Officials

ALEXANDRIA, VA — After a deteriorating bridge between Arlington County and City of Alexandria was repaired, officials from the two localities officially marked the bridge's reopening.

The West Glebe Road bridge at South Four Mile Run Drive was fully opened in late July, but officials held a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey and Alexandria Mayor Justin Wilson were among the officials attending. The full opening came after the bridge partially opened in early March with one vehicular lane in each direction.

"The West Glebe Road bridge is a vital part of a major roadway connecting Alexandria and Arlington," said Wilson in a statement. "The completion of this reconstruction project means safer, more efficient travel for residents and visitors in both jurisdictions."

The bridge was repaired after a 2018 inspection found a structural issue, prompting a 5-ton weight restriction and sidewalk closures. The southbound lane on the bridge was converted for pedestrian and bicyclist use, and another inspection in 2021 again prompted shifted lanes and a temporary walking path. Another southbound lane was closed in late March 2022, followed by a full closure to traffic in late April 2022.

Construction on the bridge started in May 2022 and finished over the summer. The new bridge includes vehicular lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes. The bridge is enhanced by artists Vicki Scuri and Alexandr Polzin, who created arcs and bubble patterns and illuminated handrails. There is also lighting under the bridge for users of the Four Mile Run Trail.

"I’m excited that I can officially say that the West Glebe Road Bridge is fully open to multimodal transportation – we welcome those traveling by foot, vehicle, bike, or scooter to utilize this new and improved bridge," said Dorsey.

Arlington County and the City of Alexandria collaborated on the bridge replacement project and will work on other bridge repairs. Alexandria's mayor wrote in his August newsletter that there are five bridges between Alexandria and Arlington County: the West Glebe Road bridge, Arlington Ridge Road bridge, Shirlington Road bridge, Richmond Highway/Route 1 bridge and Potomac Avenue bridge. Records show Arlington County is responsible for the West Glebe, Arlington Ridge and Shirlington Road bridges, while the City of Alexandria is responsible for the Route 1 and Potomac Avenue bridges.

While Arlington and Alexandria have collaborated on bridge repairs in the past, the localities made an agreement in 2020 to share costs for inspection, maintenance and repairs of the five bridges.

The next bridge project will be the Arlington Ridge Road/Mount Vernon Avenue bridge, which Arlington County found has deterioration like the old West Glebe Road bridge. Along with repairing the bridge, the project will expand sidewalks and bike lanes in both directions. That project is in the design phase.