Variable message signs alerting motorists to upcoming traffic impacts were posted during the first week of August on roads leading to the John C. Brown Memorial Bridge, which provides a critical link between the eastern and western portions the city over the Metrorail and CSX tracks on Edmonston Drive.
The city’s contractor was scheduled to begin constructing scaffolding under the bridge by late August. The process, which should last up to three weeks, will temporarily, and infrequently, close one lane of the bridge between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. for material delivery. Lane closures will not occur during the morning or evening rush hours so that traffic impacts are minimized. Repairs under the bridge, considered the rehabilitation project’s first phase, will begin after the scaffolding is erected. They include abutment and pier concrete repairs, steel beam plating and painting, bearing replacement, and insulating an 8-inch water main. The first phase is expected to be completed in February.
The project’s second, and final, phase, which is expected to be completed in May, will require one lane of the three-lane bridge to be closed 24/7. At least one sidewalk across the bridge will be open at all times. The second phase includes concrete deck repair on the topside of the bridge.
Bus service for Montgomery County Public Schools and county Ride On have been notified of potential traffic delays.
While the bridge is structurally sound, the repairs are part of the city’s ongoing Bridge Rehabilitation Program, which inspects long-span bridges every two years and prioritizes repairs based on structural improvements recommended in inspection reports.
For more information, contact project manager John Hollida, at 240-314-8526 or [email protected]; or senior community engagement coordinator Hjarman Cordero, at 240-314-8344 or [email protected].