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Deer Park Road bridge might change owners

County raises ‘possibility’ of giving Humpback Bridge to Gaithersburg, Washington Grove

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

Click here to enlarge this photo Susan Whitney-Wilkerson⁄Gazette file photo The agong Humpack Bridge spans railroad tracks in Gaithersburg.

While details from county and Gaithersburg authorities on the suggestion were unavailable Monday, they said unofficial discussions of such a plan were under way and represent the municipalities’ joint opposition to the county’s years-old effort to replace the aging bridge on East Deer Park Drive.

‘‘We are pleased the county is considering such an option,” Washington Grove Mayor John Compton said. ‘‘Of course, the devil’s in the details.”

The possible transfer, noted in a recent Washington Grove town newsletter, adds yet another dimension to a complex and decades-old debate over how to guard the antiquity of the 60-year-old bridge while ensuring that its single lane and aging components can handle increasingly heavy traffic loads.

The county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation had been pushing to replace the bridge with a larger, multi-lane overpass, reasoning that even with the repairs suggested by Washington Grove and Gaithersburg to preserve the existing structure, it would have to be replaced eventually.

Apart from keeping the Humpback intact for historic purposes, residents and town leaders also said the bridge acts as a ‘‘traffic-calming device” that helps curb the kind of congestion the county said is inevitable in coming years and that a newer bridge would be needed to accommodate.

The county Historic Preservation Commission last year recommended the bridge be deemed a historic structure; it remains a candidate for such a designation, making it harder for the county to push plans to replace it.

‘‘I think there’s really a recognition that this really is a landmark,” said Nancy Helm, a 21-year town resident who with her husband, Ned, has worked closely with the town on preserving the bridge. ‘‘That was quite significant.”

Gaithersburg City Manager David B. Humpton said Monday that discussions between him and county authorities were ongoing, and that everything is preliminary pending a recommendation to the Gaithersburg City Council.

He allowed, however, that Gaithersburg is involved in talks about the possible ownership transfer ‘‘because, to date, the city’s been concerned about the bridge being removed and a larger bridge being put in,” which he said could ‘‘cause more traffic on the roadway.”

County spokeswoman Esther Bowring indirectly confirmed the county had made the suggestion, but declined to comment on when or why it had done so.

‘‘Discussions are continuing with the city and no final agreement has been made as yet,” Bowring said.

Neither Gaithersburg nor the county would comment on their contact, if any, with Washington Grove on the matter.