The Freeway Fight in Washington, D.C.

Abstract

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the proposed Three Sisters Bridge over the Potomac River became one of the most prominent controversies in the national debate over urban freeway construction. Because of the District of Columbia’s uniquefederal status, both highway advocates and opponentssaw the bridgeas a mat- ter of national importance. Previous accounts of the bridge’s defeat and of other highway protests have fo- cused on street demonstrations and grassroots organizations. This article highlights the role of elite highway protestors, who not only fought the bridge with lawsuits and studies but who also penetrated the Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations, creating a freeway revolt within the federal government. Their actions defeated the Three Sisters Bridge and helped move federal transportation policy away from inflexible insistence on urban freeways.