Talbot Avenue bridge
Talbot Avenue Bridge | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Talbot Avenue Bridge, 2007 | |
| Coordinates | 39°00′07″N 77°02′41″W / 39.00195°N 77.04482°W |
| Carries | Talbot Avenue, Georgetown Branch Trail |
| Crosses | Metropolitan Subdivision |
| Locale | Silver Spring, Maryland |
| Begins | Lyttonsville |
| Ends | North Woodside |
| Owner | Montgomery County, Maryland |
| Characteristics | |
| Width | 45 – 55 feet |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| History | |
| Opened | May 24, 2024 |
| Location | |
 | |
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The Talbot Avenue bridge in Montgomery County, Maryland, is a two-lane pedestrian bridge that connects the neighborhood of Lyttonsville to downtown Silver Spring over the Metropolitan Subdivision of the CSX railroad. Built in 2024, it is the third bridge across railroad tracks in this location. Historically, the bridges connected an antebellum community founded by a free Black laborer to neighborhoods where for decades Black people were allowed to work, but not live.[1] Today, it carries the Georgetown Branch Trail extension of the Capital Crescent Trail.
History
[edit]The first bridge at this location was built to cross the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad's double-track Metropolitan Branch line, which opened in 1873.[2]
The second bridge, a one-lane metal girder structure, was installed in 1918. Its primary span used components of a dismantled railroad turntable.[3] The structure was 106 feet long and 14.5 feet wide, from timber curb to curb and an out-to-out width of 18 feet. The greater structure consisted of a through-plate girder in the center span, rolled girders in the end spans, timber floor beams, a wood plank deck and a timber railing.[2]
A new deck was added in 1986.[2] The bridge connected Hanover Street and Lanier Drive.[4]
A 1993 inspection report indicated the structure was in fair to poor condition with cracking, corrosion and section loss. The wood and steel on the bridge had been in disrepair, making it hard to keep intact.[5]
In 2016, preservationists protested plans to demolish the structure to make way for the planned light rail Purple Line.[6][7]
In May 2017, the bridge was closed to vehicles after a safety inspection determined it to be unsafe.[8]
In February 2019, the bridge was recorded as part of the Historic American Engineering Record. The project historian wrote, "The bridge also is significant for its social history and as a cultural landscape element. The tracks beneath the bridge formed a dividing line separating segregated suburban communities. African Americans living west of the bridge in Lyttonsville relied on the structure as a vital link to jobs, shopping, and recreational opportunities unavailable in their community. People east of the bridge lived in what was historically a sundown suburb: a place where African Americans could not buy or rent homes and where Jim Crow segregation was rigidly enforced."[3]
The bridge closed in June 2019, and was dismantled later that year.[9] Its main span was preserved and stored, with plans to place it on public display along the Georgetown Branch Trail.[3]
The third bridge opened on May 24, 2024.[10] The new bridge carries the Georgetown Branch Trail extension of the Capital Crescent Trail to Silver Spring.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Shaver, Katherine (September 24, 2016). "A Montgomery bridge that linked black and white neighborhoods during segregation soon will be lost to history". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Inventory of Historic Bridges, Properties number M: 36-30" (PDF). Maryland Historic Trust. April 3, 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ a b c "Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, Metropolitan Branch Bridge 9A (HAER MD-195)". Historic American Engineering Record. 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2022.
- ^ Jasinski, Agnes (May 28, 2008). "Talbot Avenue bridge closes today for repairs". The Gazette. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ Robinson, Mark (April 7, 2016). "The strung out bridges of Montgomery County". Montgomery County Sentinel. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Shaver, Katherine (February 8, 2017). "Montgomery County moves to preserve century-old bridge with ties to segregation". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ "Neighborhood profile: Lyttonsville". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Shaver, Katherine (August 31, 2017). "Historic Maryland bridge is closed after failing inspection". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ Pollak, Suzanne (June 6, 2019). "Residents say goodbye to the historic Talbot Avenue Bridge". Montgomery County Sentinel. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
- ^ Spencer, Darcy (May 25, 2024). "New bridge unites Silver Spring neighborhoods once divided into Black and white". WRC-TV. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
- ^ "Talbot Avenue Bridge Design Meeting". April 16, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2020.
External links
[edit]
- Talbot Avenue: a bridge in black and white
- BridgeHunter - Talbot Avenue Railroad Overpass
- UglyBridges.com - Talbot Avenue bridge
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