Baltimore City Department of Transportation issued the following announcement on Mar. 18.
Mayor Brandon M. Scott was joined by City Council President Nick J. Mosby, Councilman John Bullock, Community Outreach Coordinator Paris Gray representing Councilman Kristerfer Burnett, and Baltimore City Department of Transportation Deputy Director of Complete Streets Corren Johnson, along with community members to celebrate the completion of the Edmondson Avenue Bridge construction.
“The reconstruction of the Edmondson Avenue Bridge is a major milestone for communities in west Baltimore and commuters along US Route 40,” said Mayor Brandon Scott. “We are committed to improving our transportation infrastructure throughout the city, and we thank our federal partners for their support in reconstructing this historic bridge along a crucial east-west corridor which will serve the community for another 75 years.”
The Edmondson Avenue Bridge crosses over the Gwynns Falls, the CSX Railroad, Hilton Parkway and the Gwynns Falls Trail. The original structure was over 100 years old and experiencing common problems/deterioration associated with a structure of its age. The rehabilitation of the bridge began near the end of 2016 at a cost of over $40.3 million.
Reconstruction of the bridge was challenging, as the urban setting of Edmondson Avenue, along with the bridge’s historic value had to be considered. The structure stands 70 feet in the air over the Gywnns Falls and an active rail system, plus it’s nearly 2 football fields long. The structure was replaced using ‘phased construction’ so that the bridge could remain open for traffic and pedestrians during the project. Two lanes of through traffic were maintained throughout construction except during off-peak hours to help minimize impacts to surrounding communities and commuters. The Edmondson Avenue Bridge carries over 4,300 vehicles per day.
The reconstructed bridge was designed with architectural panels to maintain the look of the signature arches characteristic to the original structure. The bridge houses numerous utility lines, including a new water main, BGE electric conduit, the Baltimore City conduit system and Verizon telecommunications. Careful coordination had to occur with all utility providers so that critical services were not disrupted during the project.
The new bridge was also designed and built to hold the now defunct Red Line Light Rail spur. Although the Red Line was not constructed, the city moved forward with this design to remain committed to transit expansion, should the opportunity for an east-west rail service be proposed in the future.
Original source can be found here.
Source: Baltimore City Department of Transportation
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