Crews in Maryland have finished work replacing a bridge on a stretch of Maryland Route 355/Urbana Pike that runs through the Monocacy National Battlefield in Frederick County.
The three-year, $14 million project replaced the span over CSX railroad tracks, and also improved pedestrian and bike access to the historic battlefield, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration.
The original bridge was built in 1930.
“Constructing the new bridge to replace a 90-year-old structure enhances safety, accessibility and mobility along a stretch of MD-355 that sees thousands of commuters every day,” MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith said in a news release.
In addition to replacing the bridge, crews also installed eight-foot sidewalks on the east side of the bridge, as well as bicycle-compatible shoulders.
“Enhancing bike and pedestrian access reflects the multimodal approach we take whenever we make infrastructure improvements,” said MDOT Secretary Greg Slater. “Our partnership with Frederick County, local residents and the National Park Service has helped make this project an asset for the entire community.”
During the work, crews built a temporary bridge to maintain two-way traffic over that stretch of the highway, which is a popular commuter route.
The new bridge reopened in August, but since then, crews have worked on a few remaining projects, such as constructing a new retaining wall, installing new stormwater and drainage facilities, and repaving an access road to the railroad tracks.
Landscaping work is still ongoing and will be completed in the spring, if the weather allows.
The project, which began in 2017, was originally slated to cost $8.2 million and to be completed in the summer of 2019, according to an earlier MDOT news release.
