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Humpback bridge is in ‘good shape,’ says consultants’ report

Study opposes county’s aim to replace historic span

Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2006

An engineering consultant hired by Washington Grove reports that the ‘‘Humpback” bridge is in ‘‘relatively good shape” and could be preserved for decades with the right care.

The 15-page study by North Carolina-based DCF Engineering Inc., made available earlier this month, counters county findings that the one-lane bridge is falling apart and should be replaced.

‘‘The costs of maintenance and rehabilitation of the current bridge, into the future, will be far less than building and maintaining a new, multi-lane bridge,” the report, which was six weeks overdue, states. ‘‘While a new bridge will require less maintenance over the first few years, the initial capital investment will be quite steep.”

The 61-year old structure, which arches over CSX railroad tracks and links Washington Grove and Gaithersburg, is regarded by many as an emblem of antiquity. Residents and officials have called for its preservation.

But the county Department of Public Works and Transportation, citing a 2004 study, said early last year that parts of the bridge are ‘‘severely deteriorated” and that, despite rehabilitation efforts, it would need to be replaced to boost safety.

The county envisioned several prospective concepts, from closing the bridge entirely to replacing it with a three- or four-lane span that they said would better accommodate school buses, emergency vehicles and pedestrians.

The $5,000 report commissioned last year by Washington Grove, cast as a ‘‘second opinion” of the county’s assessment, disagrees with the need for replacement, but does cite parts of the Humpback — also known as the East Deer Park Bridge — that should be repaired.

The study, which included reviews of bridge inspection reports and an inspection by the engineering firm on June 2, 2005, suggests about $28,600 would be needed for preventative maintenance and repair over the next two years on various bridge components.

An appendix in which these estimated maintenance costs were to be compared to those made by the county was left blank, saying ‘‘a more detailed tabulation of cost figures” was needed.

Washington Grove Mayor John Compton wrote in an e-mail Aug. 4 that the town has long requested more detailed county rehabilitation cost estimates, but that the county has been ‘‘unforthcoming.”

County spokeswoman Esther Bowring said Monday it was too early to provide the detailed numbers because ‘‘there’s a lot in it that kind of needs to be worked through.” The department received a copy of the report Aug. 4, she said.

‘‘The county’s position is, No. 1, safety,” Bowring said, adding that No. 2 would be a ‘‘cost-effective solution.”