WASHINGTON – The Federal Highway Administration is asking the private sector to provide the additional money needed to address one of the nation’s most significant transportation bottlenecks.
The American Legion Memorial Bridge along the Capital Beltway outside Washington, D.C. — the East Coast’s main thoroughfare for long-haul trucks — is costing the trucking industry about $43 million because of congestion.
But since the state of Maryland doesn’t have the money to replace it, the FHWA has issued a request for information seeking “innovative project delivery methods” to move the project forward.
“Public-private partnerships (P3s) help address public budget constraints by enabling projects to be financed over longer periods, transferring appropriate risks to the private sector, reducing life-cycle costs through private sector efficiencies and leveraging private capital to support initial construction,” FHWA said in a notice released Wednesday.
“[Transportation] the secretary [Sean] Duffy has emphasized his commitment to making the United States the world’s leading destination for private infrastructure investment. Collaboration with the private sector also introduces greater due diligence, diversifies funding sources, and increases project accountability and delivery.
The 60-year-old bridge is located on the west side of the Beltway, and the bottleneck it creates ranks the corridor at No. 19 on the American Transportation Research Institute’s Top 100 Trucking Bottlenecks.
The FHWA noted that the bridge carries an average of more than 216,000 vehicles and 21,400 heavy trucks per day, with peak speeds often reduced to approximately 15 mph. “Bridge congestion is long and repetitive, which translates directly into measurable costs,” the FHWA noted.
“Transport-related industries (transportation, wholesale and retail trade, manufacturing support) form a major component of the region’s economy and together account for about 19 percent of the region’s GDP (over $660 billion in 2022). Consumers.”
FHWA emphasized that the request for information, which is open for comment until February 9, 2026, will assist the agency’s internal review of the project and will be provided to the bridge owner, Maryland, for further review.
Questions the FHWA seeks to answer include:
- How has the congestion around the American Legion Memorial Bridge affected your daily commute, fuel economy, travel time and reliability?
- What direct and indirect economic impacts have you observed (eg, reduced productivity, increased shipping or delivery costs, missed appointments or shipments, lost sales, increased vehicle operating costs)?
- Has the hustle and bustle around the American Legion Memorial Bridge affected your stress levels, health, and overall quality of life?
- Which travel patterns (work-based trips, school routes, emergency services, chores, errands) are most disrupted by congestion?
- Are there certain days, times, or conditions when crowding is most noticeable?
- What kind of wear and tear do you need to fix on your vehicle as a result of congestion?
Related articles:
- Truck speeds continue to slow at the biggest highway bottlenecks
- ATRI: The cost of road congestion in 2022 is $108.8 billion
- Texas again has the most traffic bottlenecks for truckers
Click for more FreightWaves articles by John Gallagher.
The post DOT wants private sector to end $43 million trucking bottleneck appeared first on FreightWaves.
About the Author
