A decrepit railroad bridge in the shadow of Interstate 95 could find new life as the linchpin of a 5 1/2 -mile trail encircling the Middle Branch of the Patapsco River - opening up recreational opportunities along a stretch of Baltimore waterfront that some are calling "the next Inner Harbor."
For now, the century-old CSX swing bridge carries little traffic except the occasional trespasser with a crab pot. But city officials and a prominent developer envision a restored span that would serve runners, bicyclists and folks who simply want to take a stroll along a stretch of shoreline that is being reclaimed from industrial development.
They say the bridge and trail would complement the huge new residential, office, retail and hotel development taking shape near the light rail station at Westport. The Dixon administration is asking the state's congressional delegation to secure $5 million for the work in the multiyear federal transportation bill up for renewal this year.
In an interview this week, Mayor Sheila Dixon - an enthusiastic bicyclist - said the refurbished bridge would further her administration's aim of creating a "cleaner, greener, healthier, safer" Baltimore.
"It's going to enhance the Middle Branch," she said. "All of it has something to do with a bigger plan."
The proposed trail would cross the Middle Branch using the bridge between Westport and Swann Park in South Baltimore and recross the water using the sidewalk of the Hanover Street Bridge, before curling through Middle Branch Park on the way to the Turner Development Group's Westport Waterfront development. Along the way it would feed into the existing 15-mile Gwynns Falls Trail.
If another $12 million city request were approved, it could also tie in to an extension of the Baltimore & Annapolis Trail.
Developer Pat Turner, who expects to break ground on the now-cleared 50-acre Westport site later this year, envisions the old bridge as a "lateral park" with a central promenade where the swinging portion of the span once turned to allow boats to pass. Silt deposits have since rendered that part of the Middle Branch unnavigable.
"People can actually get married in the middle of the Middle Branch," he said, projecting into the future during a recent tour of the site. "That's just a cool bridge."
Dixon warned that the city is unlikely to restore the bridge without federal funding. Rep. C. A. Dutch Ruppersberger, a Baltimore County Democrat, has included the project in the list of earmarks he is seeking.
