NewCem slag cement from cement giant Lafarge is playing a key role in one of the largest public works projects in the mid-Atlantic region. A partnership of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the Maryland State Highway Administration, and the Virginia and District of Columbia Departments of Transportation, the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge is designed to eliminate one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the country and reduce driving delays for hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.

The US$2.5bn megaproject involves a 7.5-mile corridor beginning in Maryland and connecting to Virginia by a bridge over the Potomac River. It consists of replacing the original 5, 900 foot long span that opened in 1961, rebuilding nearly 12 percent of the Capital Beltway, and reconstructing four interchanges for easier entry and exit from the highway.

Construction of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge project began in 1999 and is now more than 80 percent complete, with the last interchange scheduled to be upgraded by 2013.
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