George McCeney is fond of the one-lane bridge that spans the Gunpowder Falls near his house in northern Baltimore County.
So much so that the retired high school teacher wrote a song about it. One of the verses goes:
Pulling off the interstate at Exit 24 / Makes me forget that factory job back down in Baltimore. / I drive along the river singing songs of God and man, / And stop at that one-lane bridge to wave to Mary Ann.
FOR THE RECORD - An article in Sunday's editions of The Sun on rural bridges and roads in Baltimore County included a list that incorrectly characterized the status of seven road-widening projects. Those sections of roads have already been widened as part of safety improvements.
THE SUN REGRETS THE ERROR
McCeney's tribute to the truss bridge, which he recited at a county planning board meeting, is a folksy symbol of a larger conflict that pits preservationists against road engineers in rural areas across the Baltimore region. As those areas attract more residents, narrow bridges and roads are often widened to meet safety standards. But that doesn't sit well with many longtime residents.
More than 20 bridges in northern Baltimore County need major repairs or replacement, according to county officials. Several road-widening projects are also planned in the area to handle increased traffic. The Glencoe Road bridge isn't on that list of projects, but residents including McCeney worry about the eventual loss of it and other country bridges and roads.
Similar conflicts have arisen in rural areas of Howard, Harford and other counties. In some cases, counties have preserved the rural character of roads and bridges - even at the cost of sacrificing federal funds.
"We do every thing we can to repair what we have," says Baltimore County Public Works Director Edward C. Adams Jr. But, he adds, "We're talking about bridges that are 80 to 100 years old. Some of these structures were built for horses and buggies, when the roads were dirt and mud."
County officials say they must use the highest safety standards, even if it means sometimes widening, straightening and rebuilding.
Preservationists and some residents see the natural curves and one-lane bridges as an effective way to slow cars. And they are urging government officials to adopt a tailored set of guidelines for repairing roads and replacing bridges more suited for the country.
"We're not saying we don't want standards. We just want them to fit the local context," says Teresa Moore, executive director of the Valleys Planning Council, the conservation group pressing for rural road design standards.
"Baltimore County has done so much to preserve the rural areas," Moore says. The policies for road projects, though, "are out of sync with the land-use policies."
