I-395 Bridge Rehabilitation Will Convert a Potomac Bascule Span to a Fixed Crossing

Skanska’s September 8, 2026 group announcement identified a $113 million contract to rehabilitate the northbound I-395 bridge over the Potomac River between Arlington, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.

The contract is with the District Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Federal Highway Administration. Its scope includes replacing the bascule piers’ vessel protection system and bridge barrier, and rehabilitating the approach spans’ superstructure and substructure.

The work will also convert an approximately 175-foot double-leaf bascule span into a fixed span. Skanska said work had begun and expected completion in the third quarter of 2029.

A rehabilitation with a change in structural function

Analysis: Converting a movable span to a fixed crossing makes this more than a routine surface repair. The project’s delivery plan needs to connect the structural change with the surrounding approach works and protection systems.

For corridor users, construction phasing is likely to be a key consideration. Project-specific traffic and access updates will be more useful than assuming a particular closure pattern from the contract announcement.

For owners managing aging bridges, the scope illustrates how rehabilitation can combine asset renewal with a change in the way a structure functions. The relevant comparison is the long-term performance of the resulting asset, alongside construction cost and disruption.

What to watch

The next details to follow are DDOT’s construction sequencing and progress reporting through the stated 2029 completion target. Those updates should make clear how the separate elements of the rehabilitation reach completion while the corridor continues to serve its users.

Source

Skanska group announcement, September 8, 2026.

Featured image is representative or archival; it does not depict the project or equipment discussed in this article. Historical corridor photograph, May 22, 2024, before the current rehabilitation. Photo: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0. Original unaltered; resized or cropped display versions remain under the same license.

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