American Legion Memorial Bridge (Potomac River)

The American Legion Memorial Bridge, also known as the American Legion Bridge and the Cabin John Bridge, is a bridge in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It carries the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) across the Potomac River between Montgomery County and Fairfax County, Virginia. It is an American Water Landmark.

The bridge has five traffic lanes in each direction. The outermost lane in each direction is an exit-only lane. The outermost northbound lane is exit-only onto the Clara Barton Parkway, while the outermost lane in the southern direction is exit-only onto the George Washington Memorial Parkway and Georgetown Pike (State Route 193). The bridge does not allow for pedestrians or cyclists.

The American Legion Memorial Bridge is an important commuter route because of its proximity to edge cities and high tech centers in Maryland and Virginia.

Built in 1963, [ "Rating Area Bridges," Washington Post: A10, August 5, 2007.] the bridge was originally named the "Cabin John Bridge" because of its proximity to the community of Cabin John on the Maryland side of the Potomac River. On May 30 1969, the bridge was officially renamed the "American Legion Memorial Bridge" in a ceremony led by Lt. Gen. Lewis B. Hershey, director of the U.S. Selective Service System. [ "Cabin John Bridge Given a New Name," Washington Post, Times Herald (Washington, D.C.): City Life Section, May 31, 1969 ] This action reduced confusion with the Union Arch Bridge, which carries the Washington Aqueduct and MacArthur Boulevard across Cabin John Creek and which some people also called "the Cabin John Bridge".

For many years, Washington, D.C., area traffic reporters on the radio continued to refer to the bridge as "The Cabin John Bridge". However, the American Legion asked reporters to call the bridge by its official name.Fact|date=February 2008 The reporters complied with that request.

The bridge crosses the western terminus of the Potomac Heritage Trail and the George Washington Memorial Parkway on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. On the Maryland side, the bridge crosses over MacArthur Boulevard, the Clara Barton Parkway and the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Lock 13 (Seven Locks 6) of the canal is underneath the bridge.

The American Legion Memorial Bridge is one of the two locations at which the Capital Beltway crosses the Potomac River; the other is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

References

External links

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* Maps and aerial photos
** Map and satellite image from [http://cryptome.org/dcbnt/dcbnt-eyeball.htm#Cabin%20John Eyeball series]

Crossings navbox
structure = Bridges
place = Potomac River
bridge = American Legion Memorial Bridge
bridge signs =
upstream = Point of Rocks Bridge
upstream signs =
downstream = Chain Bridge
downstream signs =