A new bridge is being built across the Potomac River to handle rail traffic. But with construction comes travel delays. Some major impacts to Amtrak and VRE riders started Monday.
A second span of Long Bridge will cross over the Potomac between D.C. and Arlington. The work will separate passenger trains from freight trains and turn two tracks into four. The work is expected to last through 2030.
A VRE commuter said she’s bracing for years of adjustments to her schedule, with some trains stopping and starting in Alexandria.
“Progress is always good. But the inconvenience hopefully will be worth it,” she said as she prepared to make a transfer.
Construction crews will try to squeeze in a lot of the work into a four or five-hour window in the middle of the day. DJ Stadtler, executive director of the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority, explained the approach.
“Because it is such a congested area, they cannot do their work as trains are going back and forth. As you know, Adam, we have a lot people that go in and out of the District and actually through the District from as far north as Maine all the way down to Florida — across that bridge. We cannot afford, from a transportation point of view, to shut down the entire railroad in order to do this bridge,” he said.
Riders told News4 they’re hoping the years of work will result in a smoother commute. The Long Bridge project will cost over $2 billion from a mix of local, state and federal funds.
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