Governor's Bridge (Patuxent River)

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Governor Bridge
Patuxent.River.jpg
Governor Bridge
Coordinates 38°57′05″N76°41′36″W / 38.95139°N 76.69333°W / 38.95139; -76.69333
CarriesGovernor Bridge Road
Crosses Patuxent River
Owner State Roads Commission
Heritage status Historic American Engineering Record, [1]
Maryland Historical Trust [2]
Characteristics
Design Pratt truss [1]
Material Steel [1]
Total length105 feet 6 inches (32.16 m) [1]
Width13 feet 7 inches (4.14 m) [1]
History
Constructed byunknown [1]
Location
Governor's Bridge (Patuxent River)

Governor Bridge is an historic single-lane bridge over the Patuxent River near Bowie, Maryland. The river marks the boundary between Prince George's and Anne Arundel counties. A bridge has been located on this site since the mid-18th century. [1]

Contents

Although a common bridge type, the current Governor Bridge is one of only two surviving truss bridges in Prince George's County. [1]

History

Three bridges have stood on this site.

The first bridge was constructed by Governor Samuel Ogle to travel between his mansion in Collington and the state capital in Annapolis. [2]

By 1817, the first bridge had been damaged beyond repair or destroyed and a ford was being used to traverse the river at the site. [3] On February 4, 1817, the State of Maryland commissioned Joseph N. Stockett and James Sanders of Anne Arundel County to build a new Governor's Bridge. [3]

Current bridge

The current truss bridge was constructed in 1912. [1]

The bridge was repaired in 2014 after structural deficiencies were discovered during a routine inspection. [4] It was closed in May 2013, underwent major repairs starting in January 2014, and reopened in March 2014. [5]

The bridge closed March 30, 2015, after contractors inspected the bridge and determined it required emergency repairs. [6] In 2016, Prince George's County announced that the bridge was scheduled to reopen in 2019. [7] In October 2018, the county held a public meeting to describe six different proposals for repairing or replacing the bridge. [8] In September 2019, the county held a public meeting to review feedback on the alternatives. [9] As of March 2020, the Prince George's County Capital Roadway and Bridge Projects web site stated that reconstruction was still in the planning stages. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

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Prince George's County is located in the U.S. state of Maryland bordering the eastern portion of Washington, D.C. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 967,201, making it the second-most populous county in Maryland, behind neighboring Montgomery County. The 2020 census counted an increase of nearly 104,000 in the previous ten years. Its county seat is Upper Marlboro. It is the largest and the second most affluent African American-majority county in the United States, with five of its communities identified in a 2015 top ten list.

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Laurel is a city in Maryland, United States, located midway between Washington, D.C. and Baltimore on the banks of the Patuxent River. While the city limits are entirely in northern Prince George's County, outlying developments extend into Anne Arundel, Montgomery and Howard counties. Founded as a mill town in the early 19th century, Laurel expanded local industry and was later able to become an early commuter town for Washington and Baltimore workers following the arrival of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1835. Largely residential today, the city maintains a historic district centered on its Main Street, highlighting its industrial past.

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Maryland Route 175 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The highway runs 17.01 miles (27.37 km) from Little Patuxent Parkway in Columbia east to MD 3 in Millersville. MD 175 is a major highway through the large unincorporated community of Columbia; the highway connects U.S. Route 29 next to Columbia Town Center with Interstate 95 (I-95) and an industrial area on the eastern side of Howard County. MD 175 also connects Fort Meade with Jessup and Odenton in western Anne Arundel County, where it links MD 295 and MD 32 with the eastern part of the U.S. Army base.

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Maryland Route 231 (MD 231) is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs 16.39 miles (26.38 km) from Olivers Shop Road near Hughesville east to MD 765 in Prince Frederick. MD 231 crosses the Patuxent River on the Benedict Bridge, which connects Benedict in eastern Charles County with Hallowing Point in central Calvert County. The highway directly connects MD 5 in Hughesville with MD 2/MD 4 in Prince Frederick. MD 231 was constructed from Hughesville to Benedict and from Hollowing Point to Prince Frederick in the early 1920s. The portion of the state highway west of Hughesville was built in the early 1930s, about the same time ferry service began between Benedict and Hallowing Point. The Benedict Bridge was started in 1950 and was completed in 1952; the bridge remained the southernmost crossing of the Patuxent River for 25 years. The bridge was tolled from its opening until around 1955. MD 231 was reconstructed between Hughesville and Prince Frederick in the mid- to late 1950s to better serve intercounty traffic.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Lavoie, Catherine C. (1992). "Governor's Bridge" (PDF). Historic American Engineering Record. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. pp. 1–2. Retrieved 16 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 Maryland Historical Trust Property Number PG-74B-1 & AA-85I (PDF), Maryland Inventory of Historic Bridges, retrieved 5 January 2013
  3. 1 2 "162". Laws Made and Passed by the General Assembly of the State of Maryland: An act to provide for building Bridges over Patuxent River. State of Maryland. 1817. pp. 178–179.
  4. Pompi, Jenni (April 26, 2013). "Emergency Repairs Close Governor Bridge Road Bridge: The bridge was temporarily closed by Prince George's County on Friday afternoon". Bowie Patch. Planck LLC d/b/a Patch Media. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  5. "Governors Bridge Road Bridge Re-Opens" (Press release). Largo, Maryland: Prince George’s County Department of Public Works and Transportation (DPW&T). March 7, 2014. Archived from the original on March 22, 2014. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  6. Pratt, Tim (March 31, 2015). "Governor Bridge Road bridge closed over Patuxent River". Capital Gazette. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
  7. McNamara, John (13 April 2016). "Governor's Bridge won't re-open until 2019". The Capital . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  8. "Governors Bridge Road Bridge Bridge Rehabilitation Project Public Meeting Flyer". Prince Georges County. 17 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  9. "Governors Bridge Road Bridge Bridge Rehabilitation Project Public Information Meeting" (PDF). Prince Georges County. 25 September 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  10. "Capital Roadway and Bridge Projects | Prince George's County, MD". Prince Georges County. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-11.