Celebrating “a community connected,” as one transportation official put it, the new Freedmans Village Bridge was dedicated on Thursday before a crowd of dignitaries, descendants, and local residents.

Carrying Washington Boulevard over Columbia Pike, the bridge is named for the Civil War-era community that was established for emancipated and fugitive slaves on the grounds of the Arlington estate. More than 20 years in the making, the bridge replaces a 70-year-old span that was severely deteriorated and a cause for concern for local residents.

The dedication ceremony featured remarks by Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, as well as Aubrey Layne, Virginia Secretary of Transportation; Victor Mendez, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of Transportation; Walter Tejada, vice chair of the Arlington County Board; John Richardson, vice president of the Arlington Historical Society; and Craig Syphax, a Freedmans Village descendant and president of the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, a longtime advocate of the bridge naming project.

Numerous descendants of Freedmans Village families were in attendance at the ceremony and were recognized by the speakers.

During the Civil War, Syphax said in his remarks, “a courageous group of freed and refugee slaves braved insurmountable odds to come to a place called Freedmans Village. In that short time, so much was achieved by its residents.”

Syphax also paid tribute to the late Dr. Talmadge Williams, a longtime champion of black heritage in Arlington and a stalwart supporter of the bridge project. “His commitment was complete and unequivocal,” Syphax said.

The $48.5 million project provides two bridge spans with four travel lanes, as well as bicycle and pedestrian paths along Columbia Pike. The bridge features bronze medallions depicting the headquarters house at Freedmans Village, as well as a mother and a child, both based on historical images that were originally published in Harpers Weekly.