Collapsed DC Bridge Received 'Poor' Rating In Recent Inspection

WASHINGTON, DC — All lanes of DC-295 reopened early Thursday after a pedestrian bridge crashed down onto the freeway Wednesday, injuring at least six people. Workers were able to clear the bridge debris from DC-295 by 1 a.m. Thursday.

The pedestrian bridge collapsed onto the freeway just before noon Wednesday. The bridge connected Polk Street NE to the western side of Kenilworth Avenue NW near Douglas Street NE.

Investigators believe a truck struck the bridge, which had a clearance of 14 feet, around 11:50 a.m. Wednesday, causing it to come loose and collapse. The bridge collapse caused collisions and debris to fall on other vehicles.

Five of the injured people were taken to a local hospital with injuries from which they are expected to recover, according to the D.C. Fire and EMS.

In a news conference late Wednesday evening, Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Christopher Geldart said the bridge was given a 4, or “poor” rating, in May. The rating was on a scale of 1 to 9.

“A 4 means that there are some issues with the bridge that it needs to get into our capital projects,” Geldart said.

RELATED: Pedestrian Bridge Collapses Onto 295 In DC After Crash, 6 Hurt

But Geldart said a “poor” rating does not mean a bridge is about to fall down, NBC4 reported.

Geldart’s comments contrasted with what D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said Wednesday afternoon during a news conference at the site of the bridge collapse. Bowser said the pedestrian bridge was structurally sound and that it was last inspected in February.

D.C. officials misstated the bridge’s condition earlier on Wednesday, Geldart said

“Everything we see in the accident scene right now leads to this being a collision pulling the bridge off its mooring,” Geldart said.

A vehicle traveling in the opposite direction as the truck on DC-295 had a dashboard camera (see below) that showed the bridge collapse.