This toll bridge was designed to permit easy access to Anacostia so that housing could be constructed on the eastern shore of the Anacostia River. A road was built from the bridge to the town of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and named Upper Marlborough Road (called Good Hope Road SE today), while another road ran roughly parallel to the river and was named Piscataway Road (then in the late 19th century "Asylum Road" and in the 20th century "Nichols Avenue", and is now Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE).
This toll bridge was created to facilitate easy access to Anacostia, allowing housing development on its eastern shore. A road led from the bridge to Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and was named Upper Marlborough Road (now Good Hope Road SE), while another road ran parallel to the river and was initially called Asylum Road before becoming Nichols Avenue in the 20th century and Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE.