BRIDGES OF WASHINGTON, D.C.

The complex of bridges crossing the Anacostia River in Northeast Washington, DC, are not particularly historic or decorated, and are relatively uninteresting in appearance. However, they do encompass and incorporate a variety of recreational opportunities for District residents. The bridge at the northern end of this complex carries Benning Road, and is now named for Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert F. Kennedy and a prominent environmental protection activist. The southernmost bridge, carrying East Capitol Street, is named for Whitney Young, the civil rights activist and Executive Director of the National Urban League. Between these two roadway bridges, two islands in the Anacostia, Kingman and Heritage Islands, are linked to the western shore and to each other by wooden pedestrian bridges.

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Within this complex, only the Ethel Kennedy Bridge location has a substantial history. A bridge was constructed here in 1800 by Benjamin Stoddert, and was variously known as Stoddert’s Bridge, the Upper Bridge (as opposed to the Lower Bridge further downstream), and Ewell’s Bridge (named after Stoddert’s son-in-law, who inherited the bridge). After being burned by the Americans in 1814, subsequent generations of this bridge were constructed in 1820, 1830 (by William Benning), 1892, 1934, and most recently in 2004. The Whitney Young Bridge was constructed in 1955, and the Kingman/Heritage Island complex was established by the city government in 2018.

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North of the Ethel Kennedy Bridge, the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail is found only on the East Bank of the river. However, starting at the Kennedy Bridge on Benning Road, the trail also continues along the West Bank, creating continuous, parallel bike and hiking trails all the way to the Frederick Douglass Bridge. Links between the East and West Banks Trails can be made on the sidewalks across the Ethel Kennedy, Whitney Young, John Philip Sousa, Eleventh Street, and Frederick Douglass bridges.

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The western shore of the Anacostia between the Kennedy and Young bridges was once occupied by RFK Stadium, home to the Washington Senators and Redskins, and the associated parking lots. Now disused, the stadium is still in place. However, the extensive parking lot area was developed into the Fields at RFK Campus in 2019. In addition to the West Bank Trail, the Campus includes three full-scale soccer fields and other amenities.

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The Anacostia River at this location was extensively modified by dredging and disposal of dredge spoils from about 1903 to 1916. This resulted in the construction of the Burnham Barrier, which separated the main channel of the Anacostia from Kingman Lake. The barrier itself is now known as Kingman Island, and a smaller island within Kingman Lake is known as Heritage Island. In 2018, these islands were designated as a city park for ecological conservation and education, operated by the DC Department of Energy and the Environment.

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There are two access points for the nature trails on Kingman and Heritage Islands. On Ethel Kennedy Bridge, the eastern segment crosses the main channel of the Anacostia, and the western segment crosses over a narrow channel of Kingman Lake. In between, Benning Road crosses Kingman Island. The sidewalk on the southern side of the bridge is lined with a black steel fence and, about halfway across, a gate in the fence provides pedestrian and bicycle access to Kingman and Heritage Islands Park.

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Alternatively, the islands can be accessed using an entrance at the parking lots for The Fields at RFK Campus. Signs identify the entrance, which is just off of the West Bank Trail. The paved entrance trail passes through a gate in a black steel fence, and is marked with a wooden sign with carved figures of a heron, dragonfly, and butterflies, indicating that it is an environmental preserve. Just inside the gate, there are benches, informational placards, and an interactive kiosk providing weather, tide, and other data to support recreational fishing.

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The entrance trail then crosses over a small, wooden footbridge onto Heritage Island. At the eastern end of the bridge, the trail becomes an unpaved nature trail, which completes a circuit of Heritage Island. Heritage Island is entirely enclosed within Kingman Lake. However, another wooden footbridge connects the trails on Heritage Island to the nature trails on the larger Kingman Island. This bridge has two different sections connected to the islands, and a large wooden platform in the middle. The large platform has more benches and ecological informational placards, as well as stairs leading down to platforms that can be used for fishing, or access to canoes and kayaks.

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I hope to be releasing more detailed information on these bridges soon!