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Fairfax County supervisors are backing a federal effort to accelerate the expansion, renovation or replacement of the American Legion Bridge, a heavily congested Potomac River crossing that is more than 60 years old.

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, Feb. 3, to send a letter supporting the Federal Highway Administration’s call for proposals. The federal agency is exploring ways to expedite the project, potentially through a public-private partnership.

“We need to figure this out. It’s a huge issue,” Dranesville District Supervisor Jimmy Bierman said, calling the bridge a critical transportation link between Fairfax County and Montgomery County, Maryland.

The bridge carries an average of 216,000 vehicles—including 21,400 heavy trucks—each day, according to federal officials. During peak commuting periods, traffic speeds frequently fall to about 15 mph.

“Congestion at the Bridge is prolonged and recurring,” FHWA officials said when they requested proposals late last year.

Bierman and Board Chairman Jeff McKay said replacing the bridge could do more than restore an aging piece of infrastructure. They pointed to opportunities to improve safety, establish new transit connections between Virginia and Maryland, strengthen transportation-demand-management programs, and add bicycle and pedestrian access across the Potomac.

Maryland controls the bridge and would be responsible for funding improvements, but federal officials said the state lacks available funding and bonding capacity.

Virginia widened its portion of the Capital Beltway and opened new Interstate 495 toll lanes last November. Maryland’s plans to rebuild the bridge and potentially expand I-495 and I-270, however, have repeatedly stalled amid local opposition and funding constraints.

Federal transportation officials criticized Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in December for a “lack of action” and formally requested public input on reconstruction options intended to reduce congestion along the I-495 and I-270 corridors. The public-comment process is required by law as part of project planning.

McKay and Bierman welcomed that step in their Feb. 3 resolution, saying it reflected the bridge’s regional and national importance and the need for new approaches to advance its replacement.

After meeting with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Jan. 15, Moore said Maryland would reconsider private financing as a way to speed up the project.

Public input on the FHWA request is due Monday, Feb. 9. The bridge’s last major improvement project was completed in the early 1990s.