DC-295 reopened Thursday morning after it was shut down because of the collapse of a pedestrian bridge at Kenilworth Avenue and Polk Street in Northeast, injuring five people.
The footbridge collapsed after it was knocked down by a truck, according to officials, and it was found to be in poor condition in its latest inspection.
The most recent inspection was reportedly finalized in May 2021, and Bridge 66 received a 4 rating, which is considered a poor rating on a national scale of 0 to 9. It received 5, or “fair” in April 2019.
Miracle on DC 295. Not only were there no serious injuries or deaths in the pedestrian bridge collapse, but the mass of debris was removed & highway reopened in little over 12 hours. An array of city agencies including #DCsBravest made this happen. Night photo by @DCFIREBYE. pic.twitter.com/ybBpZK7FUL
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) June 24, 2021
The collapse took place shortly before noon on Wednesday. Five individuals injured while in their cars were transported to hospitals, all of them with non-life-threatening injuries.
Crews completed clearing the bridge debris after 1 am.
The construction of a new bridge is set to start Thursday.
https://t.co/fVBMQQAOHE pic.twitter.com/GkphjH28T9
— Curt (@CurtKMN) June 23, 2021