DC, VA Lawmakers Urge Immediate Action on Memorial Bridge

Virginia and D.C. lawmakers are pleading with local officials to make a concerted effort at funding a refurbishment project for the Memorial Bridge, which they say is in dire need of repairs.

The National Park Service said in a statement last month that $250 million was need to repair and renovate the bridge, which connects the Lincoln Memorial in D.C. to Arlington National Cemetery. If not, it could close by 2021, the NPS says.

Now, U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.) as well as Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) have released a statement urging the NPS to work with the Virginia and D.C. governments to "ensure that a viable FASTLANE application for the Memorial Bridge is submitted by NPS by the April 14 deadline in order to move forward with a plan for federal funding of this critical regional project," the statement reads.

"Congress established the FASTLANE grant program specifically to fund transportation infrastructure projects of great national significance, and the regional delegation worked to ensure that the National Park Service could participate," it continues. "The Memorial Bridge, which is both a critical piece of our regional transportation system and an important symbol of our country, is unmistakably such a project."