Talbot Avenue bridge facts for kids
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The Talbot Avenue bridge in Montgomery County, Maryland, was a historic one-lane metal girder bridge that connected Lyttonsville and downtown Silver Spring. Originally built in 1918, with a new deck added in 1986, it crossed the CSX railroad tracks between Hanover Street and Lanier Drive. It closed in June 2019, and was demolished later that year. It will be replaced by a new two-lane bridge, which is currently under construction. It will carry the Georgetown Branch Trail extension of the Capital Crescent Trail to Silver Spring.
The structure had historic value as Lyttonsville was a community founded in 1853 by a free black laborer, and the bridge was a connection to downtown Silver Spring and to neighborhoods where black residents were allowed to work, but not live.
Background
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The structure was 106 feet long and 14.5 feet wide, from timber curb to curb and an out-to-out width of 18 feet. The greater structure consisted of a through-plate girder in the center span, rolled girders in the end spans, timber floor beams, a wood plank deck and a timber railing. A 1993 inspection report indicated the structure was in fair to poor condition with cracking, corrosion and section loss. The wood and steel on the bridge had been in disrepair, making it a hard keep intact. In May 2017, the bridge was closed to vehicle traffic after a safety inspection determined it to be unsafe.
In 2016, it became a point of controversy as there were plans to demolish the structure to make way for the planned light rail Purple Line.
