[3] In 1797, the state of Maryland (which then controlled the area which would later become the District of Columbia) issued a charter to Benjamin Stoddert, Thomas Law, and John Templeman to build a bridge across the Anacostia River.

[4][5] In the 1790s, "Captain" William Benning came from Virginia and purchased 330 acres (1.3 km2) of land on the western end of Stoddert's Bridge.

[15] Benning built a new bridge at the site in the 1830s (although not all sources agree on the exact date).

The 8-span bridge made of steel beams encased in concrete on simple spans opened on December 18, 1934.

[23][1][24][25] The new bridge, like the one it replaced, carries water, gas, electricity and phone lines.

It also included wide sidewalks, a new pedestrian gateway to Kingman Island and connections to the RiverParks on both sides of the river.

[28] The Bridge was inspected by the District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) in 2014, and found to be structurally sound.