16th Street Bridge (Washington, D.C.)

16th Street Bridge
Looking at the west side of the 16th Street Bridge from Piney Branch Parkway NW
Coordinates38°56′18″N 77°02′11″W / 38.9382°N 77.0364°W / 38.9382; -77.0364
Carries16th Street NW
CrossesPiney Branch and Piney Branch Parkway
LocaleWashington, D.C., U.S.
Other name(s)Piney Branch Bridge
OwnerDistrict of Columbia Department of Transportation
Maintained byDistrict of Columbia Department of Transportation
Characteristics
Total length272 feet (83 m)
Width61 feet (19 m)
Longest span125 feet (38 m)
No. of spans1
Load limit40 short tons (36 t)
History
ArchitectJ.J. Morrow and W.J. Douglas
Constructed byPennsylvania Bridge Company (first span);
Cranford Paving Company (second span)
Construction startSeptember 1905 (first span);
June 1909 (second span)
Construction endJanuary 1908 (first span);
April 1910 (second span)
Construction cost$165,000 ($5,568,161 in 2024 dollars)
OpenedApril 15, 1910 (1910-04-15)
Statistics
Daily traffic30,000 vehicles per day
Location

The 16th Street Bridge, also known as the Piney Branch Bridge, is an automobile and pedestrian bridge that carries 16th Street NW over Piney Branch and Piney Branch Parkway in Washington, D.C. It was the first parabolic arch bridge in the United States. Construction on the first span began in 1905 as part of the northward extension of 16th Street, and was finished in 1907 but was never opened to traffic. The second span began construction in 1909 and was completed in 1910. The bridge was renovated in 1990, and again beginning in October 2014.

The bridge, which spans the Piney Branch addition to Rock Creek Park, sits at the corner of four Washington, D.C., neighborhoods: Sixteenth Street Heights, Crestwood, Columbia Heights, and Mount Pleasant.