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The bridge carries 6 lanes in each direction plus a 14’wide shared use path.  In each direction the 3  right-hand lanes are local lanes and connect to all intersecting streets. The 4th and 5th lanes are express lanes and connect to only the major highways. The 6th lanes are reserved for future METRO heavy rail transit and are currently vacant. METRO’s current expansion plan envisions extending the Blue Line from Huntington across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to National Harbor, then north through Anacostia to downtown DC.

Clear views through the bridge were an important part of the design intention. However, the great width of the bridge, 250 feet, makes providing open vistas through the bridge difficult, since a wide substructure tends to interfere with diagonal view lines. The first response to this concern was to use long spans, with a goal of achieving a maximum span of 400 feet, which is only about 1.6 times the bridge width. The V-shaped piers helped in lengthening the spans. The angle of each V and thus its span-to-height ratio is kept the same throughout, giving the structure a sense of consistent proportionality. However, the spans between the V-piers decrease at a lesser rate than the bridge height, so that the total span from the base of one pier to the base of the next decreases at a slower rate than the height declines. The result is that the span-to-height ratio of the spans nearest the Maryland shore is greater than for those near the channel.

With longer spans near the Maryland shore, the diagonal views through the bridge are maintained. The visual effect is to reduce the apparent complexity of the structure and open up view corridors through the bridge from every viewpoint. The new bridge has 11 pier lines across the river, versus the 33 in the previous bridge. The longest river span is 402 feet, the shortest 300 feet. Comparable spans continue through Jones Point Park on the Virginia shore, allowing maximum use of the park area under the bridge. To further reduce the width of the substructure the deck overhangs were made as large as possible. The V-piers also flare outward in the transverse direction beginning from a narrow base. The narrow bases occupy in total less than a quarter of the width of the bridge, so that water/ground level views stay open in all directions.

The lighting concept aimed at bringing out the bridge’s distinctive V-shaped piers. To pull the whole bridge together into one integrated theme the railings, light poles, and sign structures were all conceived with a consistent family of shapes.

The competition jury’s comments focused on the open appearance created by the large spans, the graceful curves of the V-piers and the way the moveable span blends into the balance of the structure. Also recognized were the relatively simple foundations, ease of construction, and relative economy the V-piers offer.  The bridge was among the least costly of the designs submitted, although the jury felt that the costs of all of the entries were comparable and did not make cost a criterion. 

On the Maryland shore the shared use path crosses over I-95 on a landscaped structure that also serves as a gateway to Maryland. On the Virginia Shore Alexandia’s Washington Street, part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, crosses over I-95 on another landscaped structure. Wide planted berms border Washington Street and screen I-95 from the view of Parkway users.

Mr. Gottemoeller was the architect for the competition-winning design.  He developed the sculpted forms of the V-piers and worked with the team’s engineers to ensure long spans proportional to the height of the bridge. He also developed the concepts for the landscaped structures on the Maryland and Virginia shores.