ALERT: Southbound King Street Exit on I-395 Will Be Closed for Two Weeks
Bridge Built in 1970 in Need of Rehab for Pedestrians and Cars
ALEXANDRIA, VA – Drivers along King Street (Route 7) in Alexandria can expect a new temporary traffic pattern at I-395 beginning Monday morning, May 3, weather permitting, for work as part of the rehabilitation of the King Street Bridge over I-395, according to the Virginia Department of Transportation.
Drivers can expect lane closures in both directions of King Street over I-395 overnight Sunday, May 2 from 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. Monday, May 3 so crews can install temporary striping for the traffic shift. Around 5 a.m. Monday, the eastbound lanes of the bridge will close and eastbound traffic will be shifted so that one lane of traffic in each direction will run on the westbound King Street side of the bridge while the bridge deck on the eastbound side is replaced.
To improve traffic flow, the following detour for eastbound King Street traffic will also be signed: North Beauregard Street, West Braddock Road, North Van Dorn Street and Menokin Drive back to King Street.
Additionally, beginning at 9 a.m. Monday, the ramp from southbound I-395 to eastbound King Street will also be closed until work on the eastbound side of the bridge is complete around Tuesday, May 18. Traffic will be detoured via the southbound I-395 collector-distributor lanes (Exit 7-Glebe Road/Shirlington), North Quaker Lane, Fern Street and Kenwood Avenue back to King Street.
The $13 million rehabilitation of King Street over I-395 includes upgrading the King Street overpass, as well as pedestrian improvements along King Street between Park Center Drive and Menokin Drive. The project is financed with federal and state funding, including State of Good Repair funding used for bridges. The project is expected to be complete this summer. Read more.
Within the project limits, King Street averages up to 43,000 vehicles a day and I-395 averages up to 208,000.
Improvements include:
- Repairing and resurfacing the concrete bridge deck
- Repairing bridge piers, abutments and bearings
- Adding pedestrian fences to the bridge railings
- Painting steel bridge beams
- Repairing King Street pavement adjacent to the bridges
The project also includes the following pedestrian improvements:
- Adding a new westbound King Street pedestrian crossing at 30th Street South
- Widening the King Street median sidewalk between 30th Street South and Menokin Drive, and centering the sidewalk in the median
- Widening the westbound King Street sidewalk between 30th Street South and Park Center Drive
- Upgrading the curb ramps and pedestrian signals at King Street and Park Center Drive, and eastbound King Street and Menokin Drive
- Upgrading roadway lighting
Within the project limits, King Street averages up to 43,000 vehicles a day and I-395 averages up to 208,000.
Estimated Costs
Preliminary Engineering – $2.2 million
Construction – $10.8 million
Total – $13 million
The project is financed with federal and state funding, including State of Good Repair funds used for bridges.
Benefits
This project aims to improve safety for drivers and pedestrians and extend the overall life of the bridge.
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