The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) completed&nbsp;an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for the Long Bridge Project jointly with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). The Long Bridge Project consists of potential improvements to the Long Bridge and related railroad infrastructure located between Rosslyn (RO) Interlocking in Arlington, VA to L'Enfant (LE) Interlocking near L'Enfant Plaza SW in the District.

The existing two-track Long Bridge is owned and operated by CSX Transportation (CSXT), a Class I freight railroad, which also operates the Long Bridge Corridor. In addition to CSXT freight, the bridge is also currently utilized by Amtrak and VRE.

The purpose of the Proposed Action is to provide additional long-term railroad capacity and to improve the reliability of railroad service through the Long Bridge corridor. Currently, there is insufficient capacity, resiliency, and redundancy to accommodate the projected demand in future railroad services. The Proposed Action is needed to address these issues and to ensure the Long Bridge corridor continues to serve as a critical link connecting the local, regional, and national transportation network.

Although not part of the Proposed Action’s Purpose and Need, the Project will explore the potential opportunity to accommodate connections that follow the trajectory of the Long Bridge Corridor to the pedestrian and bicycle network. The feasibility of this opportunity will be assessed as the Project progresses, and will consider whether a path can be designed to be consistent with railroad operator plans and pursuant to railroad safety practices. Future efforts to accommodate connections to the pedestrian and bicycle network may be advanced as part of the Project, or as part of a separate project(s) sponsored by independent entities.

FRA and NPS jointly issued a single document that combines the Record of Decision (ROD) and the Final EIS (including the Final Section 4(f) Evaluation and PA). The Combined Final EIS/ROD for the Long Bridge Project was published on&nbsp;August 12, 2020.

The ROD documents that FRA and NPS selected Action Alternative A for the Project based on analysis presented in the Draft EIS and input from the public, stakeholders, and agencies. Action Alternative A most effectively achieves the Purpose and Need of the Project. It includes expanding the 1.8-mile Long Bridge Corridor from two to four tracks crossing the Potomac River from RO Interlocking near Long Bridge Park in Arlington, Virginia, to L’Enfant (LE) Interlocking near 10th Street SW in Washington, DC. With this alignment, a new two-track bridge would be constructed upstream of the existing Long Bridge, and the existing bridge would be retained to create a four-track crossing. The ROD also contains commitments to provide mitigation for the Long Bridge Project. Mitigation for the Project includes construction of a new bike-pedestrian shared-use path that would span George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Potomac River.&nbsp;