US Senators to Donald Trump's Cabinet: Fix the Arlington Memorial Bridge Now

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-Va.) are calling on two people nominated for President-elect Donald Trump's cabinet to make funding available right away for rehabilitation of the Arlington Memorial Bridge, which authorities warn is falling into disrepair and may need to get shut down entirely in the coming years.

Warner and Kaine submitted a letter to U.S. Secretary of the Interior nominee Ryan Zinke and U.S. Secretary of Transportation nominee Elaine Chao to make the bridge a top priority in order to prevent it from falling into a "permanent state of disrepair," according to a joint statement from their offices.

“Historically, Presidents have traveled across Memorial Bridge for wreath laying ceremonies at Arlington National Cemetery on holidays such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day, but have recently been forced to use alternate routes after the weight limit was imposed in May 2015,” wrote the Senators, “Furthermore, an alternate route will most likely be needed the day before Inauguration Day, when the President-elect would typically travel across the bridge for a wreath laying ceremony in accordance with tradition. And although Memorial Bridge has always closed on Inauguration Day for civilian vehicular traffic, military personnel have typically traveled across the bridge in buses to participate in the festivities. These personnel were informed that they would need to find an alternate route for Inauguration this year. Further, current weight restrictions on the bridge have both national security and evacuation route implications.”

Personnel supporting inaugural ceremonies that would normally need to use the Memorial Bridge will have to use the 14th Street Bridge this week instead, the senators add, because of weight limitations on the bridge.

The National Park Service estimates that $250 million will be needed to bring the Memorial Bridge into good repair. The NPS successfully secured $90 million last year to begin repairs on the bridge, but if no more funding is allocated, it will have to close to traffic in 2030.

Image via NPS