1885+1909 Capital Crescent Trail/Arizona Avenue/B&O Bridge over C&O Canal and Canal Road in Washington, DC

(Bridge Hunter; Historic Bridges; Satellite)

C&O Canal Overview

I don't think Arizona Avenue 

The span on the right goes over the C&O Canal.

Street View, Mar 2025

Bob Dover posted

The Arizona Avenue Trestle in Washington, DC, crosses the C&O Canal and Canal Road a few miles north of Georgetown. Completion of the Georgetown Branch Railroad required a new bridge to carry the rail line across the C&O Canal, as well as Canal Road adjacent to the canal. This was accomplished by disassembling two existing railroad bridges in other locations, transporting them to the C&O Canal, and re-assembling them in their current location at the intersection of Arizona Avenue and Canal Road, a few miles northwest of Georgetown. The bridge consists of two very different spans, both salvaged from earlier railroad lines in Pennsylvania in 1909. One span is shorter and skewed, while the other is much taller, suggesting that the two spans came from different rail lines.

In the late 1980s, the rail traffic was stopped. By 1990, the entire seven-mile rail line had been converted to recreational use as the Capital Crescent Trail. Today, the bridge carries bikes and joggers across the canal and Canal Road.

This shows how different the two spans are.

Alex PennCove Tucker, Dec 2022

It appears industry survived east of here longer than I would have guessed. (Rail service made it all the way to the late 1980s.) 

1977 photo by William Duvall from the collection of Benjamin Sullivan via BridgeHunter

One of the most significant bridges in the District, this rare railroad Whipple truss and skewed Pratt truss has been preserved for pedestrian use. It is however overgrown and extremely difficult to photograph in whole from the side. The bridge also has a small deck plate girder approach span in addition to the two trusses. For unknown reasons, a plate girders run alongside the deck inside the Pratt truss.

The bridge was reportedly originally built for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad at Ridley Creek, Ridley Park, Pennsylvania southwest of Philadelphia and was moved by B&O to this location in 1909, and converted to trail use in 1992. The Whipple truss configuration and Carngie brands with the simple font both suggest the bridge dates to the 1880s, as such the reported 1885 construction date given on Bridgehunter.com would appear to be accurate.

[HistoricBridges]

rail.guide

The Capital Crescent Trail crosses the C&O Canal Towpath just south of the bridge. It is interesting that the C&O Towpath is also labeled "U.S. Bicycle Rte 50." The trail joins the Great Allegheny Passage (GAP Trail) in Cumberland, MD, and ot goes all the way to Pittsburgh.

Satellite