Duke Street bridge work to cause delays

The Duke Street (Route 236) bridge over Interstate 395 in Alexandria will be closed during two periods in August as crews work on pavement repairs, the Virginia Department of Transportation reports.

Eastbound Duke Street will be closed at I-395 from 11 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 7, to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
During the closure, drivers will be detoured to southbound I-395, eastbound Edsall Road, and northbound I-395 back to eastbound Duke Street.

Westbound Duke Street will be closed from 11 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 14, to 11 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Drivers will be directed to take northbound I-395, westbound Seminary Road (exit 4), and southbound I-395 back to westbound Duke Street.

VDOT warns drivers to expect delays during the closures and urges them to use alternate routes.

All Duke Street interchange ramps will remain open during the eastbound closure. During the westbound closure, the ramp from northbound I-395 to westbound Duke Street and the ramp from westbound Duke Street to southbound I-395 will be closed.

The $16.7 million Duke Street bridge project includes replacing the concrete bridge deck and beams, upgrading the westbound sidewalk to a shared-use path, widening the eastbound sidewalk, and installing new concrete barriers on the bridge.

The project is scheduled for completion in winter 2023-24. Construction began in July 2021.

The improvements will extend the overall life of the bridge and improve safety for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians, VDOT says.

The bridge was built in 1965. According to VDOT, all four bridge piers are in poor condition due to significant spalled and delaminated concrete on the pier caps and columns with exposed and corroded reinforcing steel

For real-time traffic, work zone. and incident information, visit 511virginia.org, download the free mobile 511Virginia app, or call 511 in Virginia any time.