Like many local and state officials in Virginia, the Trump administration appears to be growing impatient with a perceived lack of progress by Maryland to replace the American Legion Memorial Bridge.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced last week (Dec. 9) that the Federal Highway Administration will seek feedback and proposals on ways to accelerate the delivery of a new bridge in the hopes of relieving congestion on the Capital Beltway (I-495/I-270).
Duffy also indicated that he planned to meet with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore to discuss the reconstruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024 when a cargo ship hit it after losing power. Six highway workers who were on the bridge at the time died.
Though he didn’t specify a meeting date, Duffy said he was looking forward “to discussing the urgent matter of relieving severe congestion on the American Legion Memorial Bridge and getting the Francis Scott Key Bridge project back on track.”
Posted in the Federal Register on Dec. 11, the request for information on the American Legion Bridge calls for “innovative project proposals and delivery methods” that could support a “cost-effective and efficient reconstruction” of the region’s only direct link between Fairfax and Montgomery counties.
The FHWA said it will used the submitted input to:
- Obtain information and data to better understand the congestion-related impacts across the spectrum of the traveling public and residents.
- Collect statements of interest and capabilities from qualified industry partners capable of addressing these issues.
- Learn more about potential designs or business proposals which would address the issue.
- Solicit feedback on the public’s interest in the use of private-sector partnerships and support.
- Gather cost and timeline information associated with these solutions.
The request also seeks comments on potential strategies for advancing a managed lane project for I-495 and I-270 in Maryland.
“Governor Moore’s lack of action on the American Legion Bridge corridor is holding back progress on one of the nation’s most critical transportation routes,” FHWA Administrator Sean McMaster said in a press release. “That’s why the Trump Administration is seeking public input to restart the multi-state plan to relieve congestion in this heavily traveled corridor on both the Virginia and Maryland sides.”
So far, FHWA’s request for information has received two comments, both of them advocating for an advancement of long-percolating plans to expand the Beltway in Maryland with toll lanes. One of the comments also calls for “a serious look at building a second Potomac River bridge crossing in Montgomery County.”
The public comment period is scheduled to remain open through Feb. 9, 2026.
As the only connection between Virginia and Maryland’s most populous counties, the American Legion Bridge has been an infamous traffic bottleneck for years. With the span operating above capacity and nearing the end of its life, then-governors Ralph Northam and Larry Hogan announced an accord in 2019 committing their states to collaborating to replace the bridge and add toll lanes on the Beltway.
While Virginia moved forward with an extension of its existing I-495 Express Lanes through McLean, beginning operations on Nov. 23, Maryland’s bid to widen its side of the Beltway stalled in the face of widespread opposition from local leaders and environmental groups. Transurban, the private company that operates many of Virginia’s express lanes, withdrew from the Maryland project in March 2023.
Moore’s administration revived planning efforts last year, proposing an American Legion Bridge and 270 Corridor program with an increased emphasis on supporting alternate modes of transportation, including pedestrians, bicyclists and transit. The program still includes the rebuilding of the American Legion Bridge and a “phased approach” to implementing toll lanes.
The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) applied in August for $864 million in federal funds, which would cover about half the cost of the $1.7 billion American Legion Bridge and I-270 improvements project.
Moore’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment from FFXnow by press time, but his press secretary told WYPR News last week that the governor had been in contact with both Congress and the White House on the American Legion and Key bridge projects.
An MDOT spokesperson says the department remains “committed to ensuring Maryland’s infrastructure is safely maintained.”
“MDOT recognizes that the American Legion Bridge is a vital connection between Maryland and Virginia with significant national and regional economic growth and mobility opportunities and continues to advance planning activities for the project,” MDOT said in a statement to FFXnow.
The department noted that it has invested approximately $300 million over the past eight years in improvements for the I-495 and I-270 corridors, including a congestion management project that’s installing a ramp metering system of sensors to control traffic merging onto the Beltway.
In the works since 2021, the I-270 Innovative Congestion Management project is on track to be completed in January 2026, if the weather cooperates, according to MDOT Media Relations Manager David Broughton.
“Additional information will be provided in a future media release once we are closer to the activation of the final ramp meters,” Broughton said.
MDOT said it has also been working on “advancing environmental permitting, preliminary engineering, traffic studies, analysis of financing and delivery options, and applying for federal grants” in connection with the American Legion Bridge/I-270 project.
