$53 million in spending for bridges over the Susquehanna in Cecil County
Newark Post
The bridges in the region that carry cars over the Susquehanna River are showing their age, according to engineers with the Maryland Transportation Authority.
That’s why the state plans to conduct $53 million worth of repair work on the two spans in a few years, said MdTA Executive Secretary Ronald L. Freeland.
Freeland said the Thomas J. Hatem and Millard Tydings memorial bridges are suffering from the effects of erosion at the waterline.
“The deterioration includes cracking and spalling (in which concrete breaks off),” Freeland said Wednesday. “The work that needs to be done is normal, age-related repairs for bridges constructed 50 to 70 years ago.”
Freeland said the work would not interfere with the $52 million roadway redecking project currently under way on the 70-year-old Hatem Bridge on U.S. Route 40. That project is not expected to be finished until 2011.
“The substructure work on the Tydings and Hatem (bridges) will be done from the water and citizens should expect minimal impact to traffic, if any,” he said.
MdTA spokeswoman Cheryl Sparks said the work is included in the agency’s six-year draft consolidated transportation program, which is the result of an enhanced inspection process that began in 2007 following a Minnesota bridge collapse that killed 15 and injured nearly 100.
Freeland said he expects the state to begin advertising bids for project in 2011.
Delegate David Rudolph (D-Cecil) said Freeland and other state transportation officials are scheduled to meet with local officials from Cecil and Harford counties next week.
“Engineers will share their perspective (and give) clear, concise answers so these officials can assure constituents that the bridges are safe,” Rudolph said. “They will make sure we know exactly what the issues are.”
Rudolph said Freeland has assured him that the bridges pose no immediate threat to public safety.
“The bridges are safe and the Authority is taking the necessary steps to ensure their safety,” Rudolph said.
