Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge

Washington, D.C., USA

A suite of wind engineering services to ensure the safety and stability of an award-winning replacement bridge

The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is a through arch bridge across the Anacostia River in Washington D.C. It features a suspended span of approximately 1445 feet supported by cables from six arches. The deck holds three traffic lanes in each direction with a path for pedestrians and cyclists on either side.

Photos

Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge 2 Rwdi Employee Guy Larose Permission Granted
Image by Guy Larose, RWDI

Services provided

  • The Challenge

    Our client, AECOM, required a suite of wind engineering studies and assessments to ensure the safety and stability of the bridge both during construction and once complete.

  • Our Approach

    RWDI’s climate and performance experts:

    • Completed a wind climatology study to establish the wind speeds for the design.
    • Conducted a sectional model study of the bridge deck to verify the aerodynamic stability of the bridge.
    • Completed numerical analyses to determine design wind loads for construction stages.
    • Performed an aeroelastic model test to assess the aerodynamic stability of the arches during construction and determine whether supplemental cable damping would be required.
    • Conducted a cable vibration study to review the cable design for potential vibrations due to aerodynamic instabilities induced by wind and rain.
    • Performed pedestrian comfort studies to evaluate the comfort of pedestrians due to motions of the bridge induced by wind, other pedestrians, and heavy traffic.
    • Advised on temporary supplemental damper design for the arches during construction.

  • The Outcome

    The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge replaces an older swing bridge by the same name that was built in 1950. One of the biggest projects in D.C. history, it was completed in 2021, the same year dismantlement of the original bridge began. The Bridge was awarded the Eugene C. Figg Jr Medal for Signature Bridges in 2023.