Hanover Street Bridge

Hanover Street Bridge

View of the bridge facing northwest, from West Covington Park
Carries five lanes (2 north, 2 south, 1 reversible) of MD 2, pedestrians
Crosses Patapsco River
Locale Baltimore, Maryland
Official name Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge
ID number #BC5210 [1]
Characteristics
Design Beaux Arts-style reinforced cantilever bridge
Bascule bridge
Total length 2,290 feet (698 m)
History
Opened 1916

The Hanover Street Bridge — officially, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge — is a bascule bridge crossing the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River along Hanover Street (Maryland Route 2) in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.

The bridge was built to replace the mile-long "Long Bridge" built by Richard Cromwell in 1856 to move products from his orchard in Anne Arundel County to downtown Baltimore.[2]

The Hanover Street Bridge connects the southern base of the industrialized South Baltimore to the neighborhood of Cherry Hill and Brooklyn. The bridge carries five lanes of traffic: two northbound, two southbound, and one reversible. It employs a lane control system and carries two sidewalks on either side.

Designed by John E. Greiner, the bridge was constructed in 1916 and is characterized as a Beaux Arts-style reinforced cantilever bridge.[3] It is known for its beautiful arches as it spans the water. In the center of the bridge is a drawbridge span surrounded on four corners by classic style towers which lend it a distinctive appearance. The bridge is 2,290 feet long. As of January 2016, the bridge is in a state of disrepair. Riddled with numerous potholes, some exposing the rebar below.

On May 30, 1993, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke officially renamed the bridge the "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge".

Notes

  1. ↑ "Highway Location Reference: Baltimore City" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2005. Retrieved 2011-12-11.
  2. ↑ Laura Rice. Maryland history in Prints 1743-1900. p. 187.
  3. ↑ Legler, Dixie; Highsmith, Carol (2002), Historic Bridges of Maryland, Crownsville, Md.: Maryland Historic Trust, p. 59, ISBN 1-878399-80-2


Coordinates: 39°15′28.0″N 76°36′58.6″W / 39.257778°N 76.616278°W / 39.257778; -76.616278


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