Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge Demolition

Project Highlights

The initial project included the dismantling and demolition of the existing bridge, seven piers in the river, an additional two piers on land and several pedestals on the approaches. This involved the removal of:

• 8,640 sf of asphalt overlay
• 5,130 lf of existing barriers
• 19,920 sf of grid deck
• 90,844 sf of reinforced concrete deck
• 13,000 cy of marine base substructure
• Over 10 million lbs of steel

The second project at this location included the demolition of the remainder of Pier E.

• Performed all heavy marine work with barge-mounted cranes and equipment
• Installed/removed 80-ft by 80-ft closed-cell cofferdam using 800,000-lbs of steel sheeting and bracing
• Demolished 2,500 cy of concrete
• Pumped and treated over 4,000,000 gallons of water
• Excavated and removed 1,600 cy of soil from the river bottom
• Placed 700 cy of tremie concrete

Safely Demolishing a Bridge in the Nation’s Capital

Fay dismantled the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in a top-down method that protected the community, the Anacostia River, and the new bridge just 20 feet away. All parts of the original bridge were removed except for the underwater, lower 20-ft portion of the center swing pier substructure, known as Pier E. In a separate contract to complete the project, DDOT again selected Fay to demolish the remaining Pier E structure under the water.
 

Challenges

Removing the original Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, which was completed in 1950, presented numerous challenges: working over and on the Anacostia River in depths ranging from 12 to 27 ft; working in a high-density population area; keeping the river’s navigation channel open to boats at all times; and performing demolition just 20 feet from the new bridge and active traffic. The project had to address water quality and environmental considerations by monitoring water turbidity daily during operations and fully containing the demolition debris, which was removed via barges to landside where it was loaded and hauled to approved disposal facilities.
 

Solutions

Because blasting could not be used, the Fay team used its extensive experience in both marine and demolition projects to plan a top-down method in a piece-by-piece dismantling of the over 70-year-old swing bridge. To remove the piers and pedestals without creating excessive turbidity in the river, Fay used turbidity curtains around these structures. In the second project to remove the remainder of Pier E to a depth of 25 ft below the waterline, Fay constructed a closed-cell cofferdam around the pier, redesigning this structure to result in overall time savings. Both complex demolition projects were completed on schedule.
 

Dismantling and Demolition Work

Much of the bridge dismantling work was performed with a 150-ton barge-mounted crane and a specialty barge crane. The team removed the bridge by sawing and lifting the deck in segments and then rigging and lifting the steel. A portion of the deck and steel on the approaches was removed using the controlled-drop method.

Following the superstructure removal, workers used excavator-mounted hydraulic impact breakers to demolish seven piers in the Anacostia River, two piers on land, and several pedestals on the approaches. After removing the demolished material from the river, Fay transported it to shore by barge and then to an upland recycling facility. Turbidity curtains contained the debris until it was removed from the water, and turbidity conditions were monitored throughout the project.

In 2024, Fay was awarded a second contract to demolish the remainder of the bridge’s center swing pier, known as Pier E, to address unexpected conditions. This work was accomplished with the use of a fully designed 80-ft by 80-ft closed-cell cofferdam installed around the 63-ft by 63-ft pier structure, which allowed the team to dewater the cell and mechanically demolish the structure inside the cell to a depth of 25-ft below water surface. The project team redesigned the original cofferdam for this application, resulting in overall time savings. Following demolition and removal of contaminated material and debris, Fay filled the void with clean sand and dismantled the cofferdam structure.
 

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