Opposition to the Inner Loop and the associated highway plans was a slow moving process that would last for over twenty years. Much of the opposition was tied to the simultaneous effort to fund a subway system that would eventually become the D.C. Metro. Funding both at the same time proved difficult, causing disagreements among politicians.
Cartoon from the Washington Star showing difficulties with funding highways and subways in D.C.
The Three Sisters Bridge and it’s construction became a flashpoint in the arguments against highways in D.C. The bridge would have spanned the Potomac River, connecting what is now I-66 in Virginia and the Whitehurst Freeway in D.C., and would have resulted in more highways in the surrounding areas. This project brought activists from Georgetown together, who came out against the construction of the bridge.
Protests on the Three Sisters Rocks that the bridge recieved its name from
Rendering of the proposed bridge
Map showing how the bridge would have connected to other roads
The North Central Freeway would have run from the Inner Loop, connecting with the Capital Beltway near Silver Spring and I-95. This went through several changes and was to be located where the Metro Red Line now goes between Union Station and Silver Spring. This was eventually shut down, partly due to community pressure.
Protest at the banks of the Potomac bringing together those against both the Three Sisters Bridge and the North Central Freeway
Map of the North Central Freeway that would have cut through Brookland. This became another flashpoint for protest against the highway system.
