The Woodrow Wilson Bridge got stuck in the up position shortly after midnight Saturday morning, causing traffic backups along the DC Beltway.
Virginia State Police said the bridge was lifted to let a ship pass underneath, but a mechanical problem wouldn’t let the bridge come back down.
Traffic on the east side of the Beltway was stopped for about an hour until crews could get the bridge back down.
Engineers are examining the bridge to find out what caused the malfunction.