The cargo vessel JOSELIN heading down river towards the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge while the passenger ferry GEORGE WASHINGTON moves clear after transiting the bridge to make way for the cargo ship. The bridge would not open in the rush hour as the traffic would back up for miles with the inevitable rear end collisions as it was a 6 lane highway. It was interesting getting the ship off the berth with no tugs when the wind and tide was behind you; and you were facing down river as you were trying to get lined up for the bridge opening. The GEORGE WASHINGTON carried passengers from Washington DC to Mount Vernon and to an amusement park across the river from Mount Vernon.The original bridge we knew was opened in 1956 and it opened on average 260 times per year (many being for pleasure yachts) but with 250,000 vehicles using it per day in the 1990s there were even more problems with the stoppages. Some people ran out of fuel during a snow storm and had to stay on the bridge in their car. A higher bridge with greater capacity was needed and plans for such a bridge were developed in 1999. It is now a two bridge combination with 6 lanes on each. The first bridge opened in 2006 and the second in 2008., the old bridge we knew was blown up.