L Street Bridge

[2][3] The construction of the original bridge at this site was delayed by long-standing legal issues with the owners of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, which terminated at Rock Creek close to the position of the bridge.

The situation changed in 1924 when a major flood damaged the canal to the point where it was uneconomical to repair it, strengthening the government's legal position.

This middle portion was especially difficult to regrade and landscape because the valley had been used as an extensive dumping ground for debris and ashes.

[1] The original versions of both the L Street Bridge and Shoreham Hill Bridge were purposely built in a utilitarian style, using salvaged steel trusses from the Georgetown Aqueduct Bridge, in order to encourage the public to demand to replace them.

[citation needed] The bridges were in fact replaced about ten years later.