Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge

Woodrow Wilson gave his name to the bridge and was an early automobile enthusiast who reportedly spent an average of two hours per day riding in his automobile to relax and “loosen his mind from the problems before him.” In 1916, as the 28th President of the United States, he signed the Federal Aid Road Act, the first bill to provide federal funding for state highways. That act and its successors transformed America’s dusty and muddy trails into the most advanced and comprehensive road network in the world. The bridge itself was constructed from 2000 to 2008 with the involvement of federal agencies and officials as well as transportation leaders from Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland, supported by administrators, project managers, designers, engineers, and construction firms responsible for the approach spans, drawspan, dredging, and foundations.

Maryland · United States