WASHINGTON — The morning rush should be getting easier for commuters this week now that the inbound 11th Street Bridge is officially open. It connects the Southeast-Southwest Freeway with the Anacostia Freeway, creating a direct route right into the District.

“The biggest improvement you’re going to see is you’ll be traveling on a new freeway system, as opposed to the current system that has reached its useful design life,” says Peter McDonough, project manager for the District Department of Transportation. “You’ll see the elimination of the weave that traffic was experiencing as you cross the Howard Road overpass.”

But the work is far from over.

Next week, a new outbound bridge will open. And a third bridge — connecting Anacostia to Capitol Hill — is slated for completion next summer.

“It’s the largest highway project undertaken by the District Department of Transportation,” McDonough says of the entire $300 million project.

WTOP’s Andrew Mollenbeck contributed to this report. Follow “>WTOP on Twitter.

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