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Chain Bridge (Potomac River)

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31: 223: 231: 242: 250: 553: 532: 272:, using 1¼ inch bars. It was designed by Judge James E. Finley, and was 136 feet long by 15 feet wide. It was destroyed by flood in 1810 or 1812. The fourth bridge was also a chain suspension bridge, and though damaged by floods in 1815, it lasted until 1840. The fifth bridge was built in 1840, and made of chain and wood. This span collapsed in 1852. 325:
In 1982, the bridge was significantly overhauled. The overhaul widened the three 10-foot wide lanes with a 12 foot wide one and two 11 foot ones. It also replaced a set of stairs from the bridge to the C&O Trail with a ramp, removed the sidewalk on the downstream side, added a crash barrier
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The first bridge at the location opened on July 3, 1797. It was a wooden covered bridge, and rotted and collapsed in 1804. The second bridge, of similar type, burned six months after it was built.
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Traffic restrictions were placed on the bridge in the 1920s, and it was fully closed following the record flood of 1936. The eighth and present version of the bridge is a continuous steel
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between the sidewalk and roadway, replaced the old railing with a fence and replaced heavy concrete with a lighter type that allowed the bridge to hold more weight.
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and a band of handlers who had to precariously traverse the outsides of the fully trellised bridge. In a nine-hour ordeal, the balloon
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The third bridge was built four years later in 1808, and its method of construction gave subsequent iterations their names. It was a
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The truss bridge was swept away in an 1870 flood, and a lightweight iron truss replacement was erected in 1872–1874.
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The steel girder bridge carries close to 22,000 cars a day. It connects Washington, D.C. with affluent sections of
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via a ramp. The bridge also carries water mains which provide Arlington County with water from the
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Cramer, Robert (18 June 1938). "New Chain Bridge Dedicated With Address of Senator Glass".
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balloon crossing, which took place overnight on October 12, 1861, conducted by Professor
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Viaduct (bridge) which crosses the Potomac River at Little Falls in Washington, D.C.
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Marks, Mary (8 September 1982). "Overhaul Of Chain Bridge Nearing Completion".
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counties in Virginia. On the Washington, D.C. side, the bridge connects with
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was fully inflated in Washington and walked out to the battlefield at
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structure, completed in 1938 on piers dating from the 1870s.
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The Chain Bridge has three lanes (of which the center is
552: 531: 359:"Weekend Closure of Chain Bridge for Final Deck Repairs" 568: 507: 401:. Johns Hopkins University Press. Archived from 279:structure that resembled a long garden arbor or 283:, but retained its historical name. During the 192:(Chain Bridge Road), which provides access to 43:visible on the distant shore in October 2016 416: 414: 412: 248: 240: 229: 221: 602:Former toll bridges in Washington, D.C. 291:. The bridge is the site of the first 569: 420: 342: 506: 471:"The storied history of Chain Bridge" 465:Where Are The Chains On Chain Bridge? 445: 409: 393: 391: 389: 387: 385: 383: 381: 379: 226:An 1839 illustration of Chain Bridge 607:Girder bridges in the United States 486:Geographic Names Information System 13: 627:Steel bridges in the United States 376: 194:George Washington Memorial Parkway 14: 643: 467:, Ghosts of DC, February 14, 2013 458: 632:The Palisades (Washington, D.C.) 617:Road bridges in Washington, D.C. 551: 530: 29: 597:Former toll bridges in Virginia 527:American Legion Memorial Bridge 490:United States Geological Survey 313: 275:It was replaced by a crossbeam 263: 188:side, the bridge connects with 587:Bridges over the Potomac River 439: 351: 336: 1: 518: 425:. W.W. Norton & Company. 399:"History of the Chain Bridge" 329: 245:The underside of Chain Bridge 622:Roads with a reversible lane 7: 10: 648: 421:Kapsch, Robert J. (2004). 253:Chain Bridge crossing the 217: 582:Bridges completed in 1938 577:Bridges completed in 1797 542: 536: 521: 516: 205:Chesapeake and Ohio Canal 146: 141: 133: 128: 120: 112: 107: 97: 87: 48: 28: 21: 612:Road bridges in Virginia 548:Francis Scott Key Bridge 293:Union Army Balloon Corps 270:chain suspension bridge 477:magazine, May 18, 2020 257: 246: 238: 227: 252: 244: 233: 225: 72:38.93000°N 77.11444°W 234:Chain Bridge during 35:Chain Bridge viewed 448:The Washington Post 345:The Washington Post 297:Thaddeus S. C. Lowe 212:Washington Aqueduct 77:38.93000; -77.11444 68: /  285:American Civil War 258: 247: 239: 236:American Civil War 228: 564: 563: 559: 558: 432:978-0-393-73088-3 186:Northern Virginia 160:that crosses the 150: 149: 639: 555: 534: 519: 504: 503: 499: 497: 496: 452: 451: 443: 437: 436: 423:Canals, Volume 1 418: 407: 406: 395: 374: 373: 371: 370: 361:. Archived from 355: 349: 348: 340: 170:Washington, D.C. 134:Construction end 102:Washington, D.C. 83: 82: 80: 79: 78: 73: 69: 66: 65: 64: 61: 33: 19: 18: 647: 646: 642: 641: 640: 638: 637: 636: 567: 566: 565: 560: 550: 546: 540: 529: 525: 512: 508:Bridges of the 494: 492: 480: 461: 456: 455: 444: 440: 433: 419: 410: 397: 396: 377: 368: 366: 357: 356: 352: 341: 337: 332: 316: 266: 220: 190:State Route 123 108:Characteristics 76: 74: 70: 67: 62: 59: 57: 55: 54: 44: 41:Washington D.C. 24: 17: 12: 11: 5: 645: 635: 634: 629: 624: 619: 614: 609: 604: 599: 594: 589: 584: 579: 562: 561: 557: 556: 541: 535: 517: 514: 513: 501: 500: 482:"Chain Bridge" 478: 468: 460: 459:External links 457: 454: 453: 438: 431: 408: 405:on 2005-04-02. 375: 350: 334: 333: 331: 328: 315: 312: 289:Fairfax County 265: 262: 219: 216: 148: 147: 144: 143: 139: 138: 135: 131: 130: 126: 125: 122: 118: 117: 114: 110: 109: 105: 104: 99: 95: 94: 89: 85: 84: 52: 46: 45: 34: 26: 25: 22: 15: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 644: 633: 630: 628: 625: 623: 620: 618: 615: 613: 610: 608: 605: 603: 600: 598: 595: 593: 592:Chain bridges 590: 588: 585: 583: 580: 578: 575: 574: 572: 554: 549: 545: 539: 533: 528: 524: 520: 515: 511: 510:Potomac River 505: 491: 487: 483: 479: 476: 472: 469: 466: 463: 462: 449: 442: 434: 428: 424: 417: 415: 413: 404: 400: 394: 392: 390: 388: 386: 384: 382: 380: 365:on 2010-07-23 364: 360: 354: 346: 339: 335: 327: 323: 321: 311: 308: 306: 302: 298: 294: 290: 286: 282: 278: 273: 271: 261: 256: 255:Potomac River 251: 243: 237: 232: 224: 215: 213: 209: 206: 202: 197: 195: 191: 187: 183: 179: 175: 171: 167: 163: 162:Potomac River 159: 155: 145: 140: 137:June 17, 1938 136: 132: 127: 123: 119: 115: 111: 106: 103: 100: 96: 93: 92:Potomac River 90: 86: 81: 53: 51: 47: 42: 38: 32: 27: 20: 543: 538:Chain Bridge 537: 522: 493:. Retrieved 485: 474: 447: 441: 422: 403:the original 367:. Retrieved 363:the original 353: 344: 338: 324: 317: 314:20th century 309: 307:, Virginia. 300: 274: 267: 264:19th century 259: 198: 166:Little Falls 154:Chain Bridge 153: 151: 23:Chain Bridge 305:Lewinsville 75: / 50:Coordinates 571:Categories 544:Downstream 495:2013-01-19 369:2010-07-17 330:References 201:reversible 182:Canal Road 63:77°06′52″W 60:38°55′48″N 475:Arlington 174:Arlington 37:Arlington 523:Upstream 142:Location 121:Material 281:pergola 218:History 208:towpath 178:Fairfax 158:viaduct 129:History 88:Crosses 429:  320:girder 116:Girder 113:Design 98:Locale 301:Union 277:truss 156:is a 124:Steel 39:with 427:ISBN 176:and 152:The 168:in 164:at 573:: 488:. 484:. 473:, 411:^ 378:^ 214:. 196:. 498:. 450:. 435:. 372:. 347:.

Index


Arlington
Washington D.C.
Coordinates
38°55′48″N 77°06′52″W / 38.93000°N 77.11444°W / 38.93000; -77.11444
Potomac River
Washington, D.C.
viaduct
Potomac River
Little Falls
Washington, D.C.
Arlington
Fairfax
Canal Road
Northern Virginia
State Route 123
George Washington Memorial Parkway
reversible
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
towpath
Washington Aqueduct


American Civil War


Potomac River
chain suspension bridge
truss
pergola

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