We are fortunate that Chestertown and Kent County are particularly effective and successful in responding to matters of community concern. It seems that two of the most recent ones – the hospital matter and the bridge situation – have been successfully addressed, for now at least.
With respect to the bridge, my view is that now is an appropriate and necessary time to reflect upon one of the profound realities of the situation which, to some extent, has been lost in the discussion . . . that is, that the bridge is in dire need of repair.
I have been impressed over the past several years that the Maryland State Highway Administration has been particularly insistent in its desire and efforts to repair the bridge as it has determined is needed. That tells me something loud and clear.
That something is that for those with information that is not available to us all, there is a genuine concern about the condition of the bridge. What is also of real concern is what is between the lines.
By that I mean that it may be that the structural integrity of the bridge is such that it is vulnerable to some sort of catastrophic failure that would render it impassable – perhaps for a much longer time than is currently scheduled for the repairs – and possibly until a replacement bridge is constructed. That could take years, and would be a community nightmare with far reaching consequences that would dwarf the disruption and inconvenience that a temporary closing will cause.
If that is true, it is not shocking. After all, the bridge is almost 80 years old, and was designed for significantly lighter and less vehicles than currently cross it daily.
To that end, I share the view that we should be vigilant to the possible unintended consequences of some of the current resistance to the bridge repairs.
So my thoughts are these.
First, as a general perspective, I think we should all be prepared for some sacrifice, even though the impact of even a temporary bridge closing will be more acute on some more than others. Isn’t that always what happens with things like this? . . . but an ounce of prevention now – and sacrifice – may be worth much more than a pound of cure later.
Second, although I am not an engineer, it seems reasonable to expect that the Chester River Bridge is under severe stress from the heavy trucks and equipment that cross it at night, and even during the day. Until it is repaired, why not impose a weight limit? That would be a burden on those affected who would have to travel north to the Crumpton bridge or Route 301, but all in all, the public would benefit if such a weight limit would be instrumental in preventing a catastrophic failure.
Third, I think it is time for those who are involved to roll up their sleeves and work together to establish a reasonable, prompt and firm schedule for the repair and the necessary closings. And we should all stick to it and plan for the inconvenience accordingly.
Finally, think Flint. It may be counter-intuitive, but by that I mean that we should appreciate the continued efforts of the SHA to monitoring the condition of the bridge – by informing us of what we do not know – and to make the necessary repairs before a catastrophic failure of the bridge. At a time when there is so much cynicism about government, I think we are fortunate to have a state agency which wants to help us and is willing to spend the money to do so.
Let’s face it . . . there is no good time for the bridge to be closed for repairs, but let’s do it before it is too late.
Philip W. Hoon, Esq.
Chestertown
Bill Anderson says
Mr. Hoon, you may as well commence your planning to depart Chestertown. People who have the ability to articulate correct conclusions about matters such as the repair of the bridge are usually unwelcome in Kent County. Farewell, sir.
jenifer e e says
Agreed!
Thanks, Phil, for bringing this to readers’ attentions. I feel just the same way but couldn’t articulate it.
Let’s just do it.
Jamie Kirkpatrick says
Mr. Hoon’s point is well taken. Short-term pain for long-term gain.
terri smith says
Very well said. I have been saying the same thing. I would much rather be inconvenienced for a short period of time. And yes, I cross the bridge at least 2 time a day by vehicle, plus walk across it at lunch.
Liz Smith says
I agree. People seem obsessed with the short term impact and inconvenience but seem to be asleep at the wheel with regard to the condition of this bridge. Simply put – it is old – pushing a century and built in a time when those who built it could not really conceive of the load and volume of traffic it would endure. As you drive across, take a closer look amd pay attention to that sort of bouncy effect as you traverse
the joined sections. Never mind that it’s looking a bit haggard. In my professional experience , I can tell you that maintenance should not be a second rate priority. Anyone want to go swimming? If we keep postponing critical repairs, things may well be far worse.
Nicholas Longworth says
Hi Mr. Hoon,
While I believe you make very good points, there are a few comments I have on some of your assumptions.
First, the bridge was built in an era without CAD, simulation, or any sort of complex stress analysis. The answer to those questions was always to over-engineer. In that era metal was cheap. If you ever go through an older industrial building you will find that the joists are much closer and much thicker than the industrial buildings that are built today. As such, the bridge may not have been designed to handle the traffic and weight that is currently imposed on it, however the design is more than likely strong enough to accommodate it. In engineering there is a term called “factor of safety.” Basically if the bridge can only handle what its weight limit is posted at, that factor of safety is a 1 to 1. You can find here (https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/factors-safety-fos-d_1624.html) that bridges generally require a 5-7 factor of safety. In other words, the bridge should be able to hold 5 to 7 times the weight it was originally designed for.
Second, if a catastrophic failure were impending the SHA would not hesitate to shut down the bridge at whatever cost to the town. If you recall, the bridge on 495 was shut down for the bulk of one of the past summers due to one of its supports shifting a few degrees. The bridge was still considered passable, but nobody wanted to take the chance. These things are taken very seriously now that we fully understand stress analysis and can simulate situations. Bridges are inspected regularly for many different variances.
I really like your comment about Flint though. It is very important that people realize that we are all on the same team here. The SHA is trying to help in the long term, not to hurt. My thought is we should build a small two lane bridge using the old bridge road on the Kingstown side (there is some kind of foundation existing at the river end of this road) and the high street landing and then convert it to a walking, biking and fishing bridge after the current bridge is really remodeled and made into a beacon for the town. It would take a bit more money but would really make the place shine. This is similar to what was done in St. Augustine, FL with their Bridge of Lions, although they built a temporary bridge and removed it instead of converting it.
Stephan Sonn says
It better get fixed before 2020 or the route to hospital care will be Crumpton.
Steve Payne says
According to that website the safety factor mentioned was only for the structural steel. Not the whole bridge.
Keith Thompson says
First of all, I would say that there is nothing wrong with any of the thoughts expressed here but I think there are a few additional points that should be made.
#1. I do remember hearing that one of the options is to remove the drawbridge portion of the bridge so it can be worked on off site and a temporary span put in place to keep the bridge open while the bulk of work is going on. This option was mooted due to the added expense. I would think that this option would be used in a more populous and politically connected community.
#2. The community was prepared for the July-August closing until the SHA blindsided the community with the announcement that preliminary work was going to cause a one lane closing for an extended period during the spring…information that apparently was withheld from the community as a part of the repair process. This doesn’t foster a lot of trust in communications with the state.
#3. Comptroller Peter Franchot keeps urging the community to flex its political muscle to get what we want, so isn’t this precisely what we’re doing?
Yes, the bridge work needs to be done but the community needs to have a say in the process.
Ian Ebersole says
A few comments from a bridge engineer (not licensed in MD):
First off, I think the general opinion expressed by Mr. Hoon is spot on, and am glad to see members of the community being proactive with its infrastructure.
I’m not directly familiar with the Chester river bridge, but generally bridges do see much heavier and more frequent loading than in years past.
Thankfully, as Mr Hoon aludes, Maryland (and other states) employs a robust bridge inspection program. This includes both a thorough inspection of bridge elements and applying robust analysis methods to determine the safety of the bridge. Even better — a summary of this process is submitted to the National Bridge Inventory and available to the public! (One site that disseminates this data is uglybridges.com/1241156 — please don’t take offense at the website name, I don’t know how they came up with it.)
Even parsed by a website as above, there is a lot of technical jargon and numbers that aren’t immediately obvious to the general public. But at a quick glance, I’ll hit a few of the highlights.
First, the “design load” — while the bridge was certainly designed for the trucks of the 1930s when it was built, it is currently checked using an “HS-20” truck — which is representative of most modern highway loads.
Skipping down to the “status” entry, the bridge is open with no restrictions. This means that the bridge is able to handle the expected traffic (HS-20) with a reasonable factor of safety (not the 5-7 mentioned in the comments, but probably at least 3). As such, the bridge will not suffer a catastrophic failure as a result of everyday use (assuming the inspection and rating are performed correctly, of course). If the factor of safety continues to drop over time, as the bridge ages, it may eventually require being “posted” with load limits.
To end my little primer, the bridge is described as “functionally obsolete”. While this sounds bad, it means that the bridge does not meet the same standards that a new bridge would, usually regarding geometry. For example, the shoulders may be narrow, or the railings may be shorter. Notably, the bridge is not described as “structurally deficient” which indicates a bridge deteriorated to the point of not being able to carry a full design load anymore. (A “structurally deficient” bridge may still be safe for lighter loads, such as passenger vehicles).
Hope that helps inform you all as you consider this investment in the future of the eastern shore.
(Again, I’m not licensed in Maryland, the above should not be taken as legal, engineering, financial or moral guidance, etc etc).
Gregory Kimmel says
The reason for the night time activities currently under way was the determination by the SHA that not only three major structural components at the draw portion of the bridge were not repairable but actually five. All are being replaced in kind. This is very easily verifiable.
The bridge is worn out.
Phil is not far off base.
Gary Micken says
A weight limit is a good idea. I have brought the idea up at meetings in the past. We need to stop all two ton and up vehicle’s. Put a $5000.00 fine on any violator. Put a sign up on 213 north and south, and any road that will use the bridge. This will make the home owners that are complaining about mortar being rattled out when trucks go by. Then the bridge could be fixed from a barge under the bridge.
joe diamond says
Gary,
You want to put an arbitrarily low weight limit on a failing bridge? This even though truck owners pay by the pound to use the roads? You suggest charging a fine to use public roads? You suggest diverting truck traffic through another town and over a different bridge? Is this to make things pleasant for folks along Washington Avenue who purchased old structures along a marked truck route through a college town? Will this be enough until homes in Queen Anne’s County can be condemned for a bypass?
Anything else?
Joe
Gary Micken says
Joe, 2000 lbs is less likely to make the bridge collapse than 80,000 lbs will. This should buy some time to get the bridge repaired. The bypass is a big waste of money. With the hospital issue and the fire company not going into Queen Anne’s County, if there is an emergency the bridge is not used. If you watch the traffic, it is mostly people going to work. Dump trucks, tractors are overloading the bridge. Get in a boat and watch what is going on under the bridge. I pray nothing happens until the bridge is inspected and fixed.
Stephan Sonn says
This little community has three infrastructure issues Hospital Care, endangered water supply, and a problematic drawbridge. None of them are being addressed at a level to the gravity of the respective problems.. I worked that brige with two generations of dogs for the better part of 20 years, in what I enjoyed as a creative environment for writing. When I was active I knew something about methodology, construction and medical care systems evolution.
We are all very fortunate to have Phil Hoon to sound the alarm. There are others too who care. But what our community lacks is the informed will to overcome obstructionists of shallow bearing. These pretenders occupy key positions and are setting agendas for their own interests. Compounding this is the fact that so many of our players are so reactive, and in some cases contributing to the containment of the real issues, rather than exploring the full range of remedy.
Let me choose my words here. Rural Maryland has always been a state ward. Not so much any more. Our infrastructure is ignored and our legislature is betting on each issue like being at the horse races. What ever ever happened to serious purpose and planning for the next generation.