The town can breath easier, at least for 2015—the Chester River Bridge will not close for repairs until a later date.
State Highway Administration engineer Greg Holsey said “we wanted to get everyone on the same page. We’re here to serve the community.” The project was removed from the 2015 budget so that more community input could be evaluated.
The Chester River bridge task force and Chestertown residents met with representatives of State Highway Administration on Wednesday to discuss the possible benefits and liabilities of terminating the bridge’s draw mechanism and making it a continuous span bridge for vehicular traffic only.
The public hearing, held at the Commissioner’s Hearing Room at 400 High Street, was well attended by concerned residents, many responding to a letter sent by the county on December 29, 2014, inviting residents who own property along the river.
A permanent structural change to a fixed bridge was met with criticism from both commissioners and residents who spoke during the open forum part of the meeting. Loss of property value and the possibility that a drawbridge might come into play sometime in the future were cited as reasons to keep the drawbridge function operable.
Task force member Jack Brosius suggested the town consider the low usage of the drawbridge as an ingredient in making the decision.
Roy Kirby, Jr., Chestertown, said that his company had experience with bridge repair and maintenance and techniques were available that could be used to keep one lane open to traffic during the maintenance period. It was suggested that he talk directly with SHA.
The predominant theme was to keep the drawbridge function of the bridge operable and to begin planning for the safety issues—EMT and fire fighting vehicles—that would have to be carefully considered during a three to four week closure that would route traffic through Crumpton and strategies to deal with emergency situations.
Attending task force members were: Foster Beach, former Chestertown mayor Margo Bailey, Queen Anne’s County Commissioner Mark Anderson, Kent Commissioners Ron Fithian and Bill Short, Paul Hanley, Joe Holt, Greg Todd, Mayor Chris Cerino, Jack Brosius, Ken Fry, Wayne Darrell. State Highway Administration deputy director of structures and district engineer Greg Holsey also attended.
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