(Updated 11:45 a.m. — The Arlington Ridge Road bridge referenced by the mayor in the article is the Four Mile Run Bridge.) Arlington County is planning on fully reopening the Four Mile Run Bridge in the fall of 2025, which will be more than six years after it closed due to structural problems.
The bridge is one of the five bridges that connect Alexandria to Arlington, and along with the West Glebe Road Bridge has been earmarked for repair since November 2018. The western portion of the Four Mile Run Bridge has been closed off to pedestrians since January 2019, and structural problems have restricted vehicles under five tons at the Arlington Ridge Road bridge.
“The sidewalk will reopen upon completion of the bridge reconstruction project anticipated in Fall 2025,” Arlington County said in an email. “The sidewalk was closed in 2019 after an independent inspection of the bridge discovered deterioration of the beams below the west sidewalk.”
The bridges were built in 1957, and the bridge decks were replaced in 1981, according to the city.
Arlington officials say there is no delay and work on the Four Mile Run Bridge will start after the reconstruction of the West Glebe Road Bridge to avoid two bridge construction projects at the same time.
Arlington County is the lead on the project, which is in the design phase, but the replacement is a joint partnership between Arlington County and Alexandria, which are paying 50/50 on the projects.
“With the West Glebe bridge requiring $10 million-$14 million of work and the Arlington Ridge bridge (the Four Mile Run Bridge) requiring $23 million-$28 million of work, these arrangements are not insignificant,” Mayor Justin Wilson said in a Nov. 2020 newsletter.
