New bridge in the works for D.C.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Norm Mineta joined the District of Columbia Mayor Anthony A. Williams, Sen. Jim Jeffords (I-Vt.), Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) to sign a memorandum of understanding aimed at building a new bridge on the district's South Capitol Street.

Williams' office said the rebuilding of the Frederick Douglass Bridge–also known as the South Capitol Street Bridge–will be a keystone in a gateway project to improve transportation access to and from the nation's capital.

"The rebirth of Southeast and Southwest Washington will provide an Anacostia waterfront that will only be rivaled by the Capitol and our monuments as a place of destination for visitors to Washington, D.C.," Hoyer said.

Funds for the project–$20 million in the House bill and $62 million in the Senate bill–are pending in the reauthorization of the federal highway and transit programs still awaiting final passage in Congress.