The Washington Post reports on Wednesday’s collapse of a 65-year-old pedestrian bridge over DC Route 295 (the Anacostia Freeway) that injured five people and closed the highway for more than 12 hours. While the cause was said to be driver error — a dump truck with its subframe raised struck the bridge — a recent inspection report concluded the structure was in overall poor condition and recommended its replacement. The bridge has undergone “no major rehabilitation” since it was built in 1956, and it did not meet current height standards. According to The Post, the DC transportation department “did not respond to multiple inquiries seeking comment on the condition of other pedestrian bridges and any effort to rebuild bridges that fall short of clearance standards. The agency also did not answer questions about the cost of the damage and any plans to rebuild the fallen structure.”
