Construction began on the replacement facilities and approaches in 1999. Bridge construction began in October 2000 with the commencement of a dredging contract. On May 17, 2001, MSHA issued notice to proceed for the foundations contract. The preconstruction conference for the Bridge superstructure contract was held on September 11, 2001. The events of the day, including the crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the nearby Pentagon, caused the evacuation of the bridge foundation construction crews and disrupted the preconstruction meeting. On December 16, 2001, MSHA received only one bid (which was more than 70% above the engineer's estimate) and the bid was ultimately rejected. In total, the work was executed by 26 prime contractors and 260 subcontractors.