[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]¸ü¶àÌýÁ¦Çë·ÃÎÊ51VOA.COM [00:00.60]A famous bridge over the Potomac River [00:04.92]is badly in need of repair. [00:08.56]The Memorial Bridge connects Washington, D.C. [00:13.56]with Arlington County in Virginia. [00:17.60]It provides drivers, runners and walkers alike a crossing [00:24.24]between the famous memorial to President Abraham Lincoln [00:30.56]and Arlington National Cemetery. [00:34.92]Tens of thousands of people use the bridge every day. [00:40.00]But only some of them know that the large stone structure [00:45.96]and its steel supports are slowly breaking down. [00:51.12]The Memorial Bridge was built in 1932. [00:57.32]It was designed to be a ceremonial entrance to Washington. [01:03.28]But the bridge is in need of major repair work. [01:09.48]Money for the project has been hard to find. [01:13.96]The U.S. Congress approved a $90 million grant for the repairs. [01:22.48]But an estimated $250 million [01:28.20]would be required to fully fix the famous structure. [01:33.16]Close to 68,000 drivers use the Memorial Bridge daily. [01:41.08]Many have noticed the bridge is falling apart. [01:45.80]"I see it every day," said Frank Lopez del Rincon, [01:52.20]who spoke to VOA while riding his bicycle. [01:56.96]"The cracks, people working on it...it clearly needs lots of work." [02:04.36]K. Seyoum, a taxi driver, also uses the bridge. [02:10.24]He said he has experienced first-hand [02:14.64]the difficulties of bridge repairs and lane closures, [02:19.88]"especially during rush hour." [02:23.00]Temporary "quick fixes" have been made for several years. [02:29.80]Recently, more permanent changes, [02:33.24]such as closing the outer lanes and increasing weight limits, [02:38.88]have drivers seeking other ways to get to and from D.C. [02:46.04]Emergency repair projects in 2010, 2012, and 2015 [02:52.96]resulted in months of lane and sidewalk closures. [02:58.92]The U.S. National Park Service [03:02.44]says those repairs were only temporary. [03:06.68]Park service officials are responsible for the bridge and grounds around it. [03:14.20]Matthew Gilmore is a local historian and planning expert. [03:21.04]He said the park service has been making quick, simple repairs for many years. [03:29.60]He explained the federal agency never has a lot of money to spend. [03:37.08]But a major fix is needed. [03:41.68]Without a complete repair project, [03:45.48]the park service said the bridge will have to close to all traffic in five years. [03:52.72]The main problem now is that the deck, [03:57.68]or top surface, continues to break up. [04:04.44]Cyclist Del Rincon was surprised to hear that the park service [04:10.12]continues to struggle to find money for the project. [04:14.84]"I would think the government would cover that," he said. [04:21.12]The situation at the Memorial Bridge [04:24.44]is found in other parts of the U.S. [04:28.20]The American Society of Civil Engineers this year [04:33.68]rated one in nine American bridges as "structurally deficient." [04:40.68]Progress in fixing the country's roads and bridges is slow. [04:47.12]Congress has been unwilling to approve the public money [04:52.48]needed for such repairs in recent years. [04:57.48]The country needs to spend nearly two times its current budget [05:03.40]of $12.8 billion a year [05:07.58]just to make sure American bridges stay safe and secure. [05:14.00]That spending estimate [05:16.40]comes from the U.S. Federal Highway Administration. [05:21.20]I'm Kaveh Rezaei.