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K Street Bridge

Bridges of the United States Numbered Highway SystemBridges over Rock Creek (Potomac River tributary)Georgetown (Washington, D.C.)Road bridges in Washington, D.C.U.S. Route 29
AERIAL VIEW OF WHITEHURST FREEWAY AND K STREET OVERPASS, LOOKING WEST Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,686 5
AERIAL VIEW OF WHITEHURST FREEWAY AND K STREET OVERPASS, LOOKING WEST Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,686 5

The K Street Bridge is a complex of bridges over Rock Creek and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in Washington, D.C. The lower level of the bridge carries the surface street K Street, while the upper level carries the Whitehurst Freeway (U.S. Route 29) which terminates and merges into K Street immediately east of the bridge. The central bridge is flanked by two flyover ramps that connect to the nearby terminus of Interstate 66.The first bridge on the site was a stone arch bridge constructed in 1792; it was only the second crossing of Rock Creek built, the first being at M Street. This bridge was found to be unstable and its center arch was demolished in 1795. In 1869, a wood bridge was constructed, and in 1907 it was replaced by a steel-plate girder bridge.The completion of the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway in 1936 increased traffic on the K Street Bridge, necessitating its replacement. The lower level of the current bridge was constructed between 1939 and 1941, and the upper level, connecting to the Whitehurst Freeway, was constructed from 1947 to 1949. The designers of the current K Street Bridge also designed the Charles C. Glover Memorial Bridge farther up the river. The bridge is built of concrete, faced with gneiss. The flanking ramps were constructed in the early 1960s. They initially contained unused branches intended to connect to the unbuilt North Leg of the Inner Loop Expressway. These ramps were demolished in the mid-1990s.The bulk of the K Street Bridge, with its many ramps, was considered to be more of a visual barrier than the other bridges across Rock Creek. This was a result of transportation efficiency taking precedence over aesthetic concerns in this case, perhaps because at the time of its construction the surrounding neighborhoods were industrial or poor residential areas.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article K Street Bridge (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

K Street Bridge
K Street Northwest, Washington Georgetown

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Latitude Longitude
N 38.902531 ° E -77.057725 °
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K Street Northwest

K Street Northwest
20566 Washington, Georgetown
District of Columbia, United States
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AERIAL VIEW OF WHITEHURST FREEWAY AND K STREET OVERPASS, LOOKING WEST Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,686 5
AERIAL VIEW OF WHITEHURST FREEWAY AND K STREET OVERPASS, LOOKING WEST Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway, Washington, District of Columbia, DC HABS DC,WASH,686 5
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L Street Bridge
L Street Bridge

The L Street Bridge is a bridge carrying the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway over Rock Creek in Washington, D.C. It is the most downstream of three bridges where the Parkway switches from one side of the river to the other, the others being the bridge near P Street and the Shoreham Hill Bridge. Despite its name, the bridge does not carry or cross L Street, but it is adjacent to L Street's western terminus.The construction of the original bridge at this site was delayed by long-standing legal issues with the owners of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which terminated at Rock Creek close to the position of the bridge. A lawsuit was initiated as early as 1912, but a resolution was not forthcoming. The situation changed in 1924 when a major flood damaged the canal to the point where it was uneconomical to repair it, strengthening the government's legal position. By 1931 these difficulties had been overcome and the bridge was scheduled to be completed by 1933.As the center portion of the parkway between K Street and P Street was the last to be completed, the L Street Bridge was initially unused while work continued. This middle portion was especially difficult to regrade and landscape because the valley had been used as an extensive dumping ground for debris and ashes.The original versions of both the L Street Bridge and Shoreham Hill Bridge were purposely built in a utilitarian style, using salvaged steel trusses from the Georgetown Aqueduct Bridge, in order to encourage the public to demand to replace them. The bridges were in fact replaced about ten years later. The current bridge was constructed from 1981 to 1983.

Washington Harbour
Washington Harbour

Washington Harbour is a Class-A mixed-use development located at 3000 and 3050 K Street, N.W., in Washington, D.C., in the United States. The southern edge of the development borders the Potomac River on the Georgetown waterfront. Designed by Arthur Cotton Moore, the complex consists of two curved towers and three other buildings attached to them, all of which are in the Postmodern architectural style. The complex contains luxury condominia, offices, retail space, restaurants, and underground parking. Construction of the complex was preceded by a seven-year zoning and legal battle over the future of the Georgetown waterfront. This dispute led to the designation and development of a new national park, the Georgetown Waterfront Park. A two-year controversy over the design of the complex, which included accusations of malfeasance by a D.C. agency, followed. Construction began in November 1981, and was complete in June 1986. Critical reception of Washington Harbour was mixed, but the public quickly embraced it. Washington Harbour suffered significant management problems in its first two years, which led to the removal of one of its developers as property manager. The complex was sold to local real estate magnate Conrad Cafritz in 1988 in a controversial purchase-like lease agreement. Cafritz subsequently sold the property, which has had six different owners between 1990 and 2013. It was put up for sale again in 2013. Washington Harbour has a first-of-its kind set of floodgates designed to help protect it against Potomac River floods. However, failure to use the floodgates properly caused a major flood in 2011, which led to a lawsuit and a $30 million renovation.