The Potomac River, a 285 mile long waterway, forms near Cumberland and creates state borders between Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia and the District of Columbia. The Arlington Memorial Bridge, which crosses the Potomac, is regarded by some a work of art as well as a symbolic re-connection between the North and the South. Built in 1926, the Arlington Bridge still moves traffic from DC's Lincoln Memorial to Robert E. Lee's Arlington House in Virginia.
Designed by McKim, Mead and White, the neo-classical bridge stretches over 2,000 feet of the Potomac. Supporting reinforced concrete piers reach down 35 feet below the water line. The bridge is decorated with 12 foot diameter bas-relief eagles, bison keystones and granite balustrades. Notable sculptures also decorate this graceful national treasure.