Hanover Street Bridge

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.

View south driving across the bridge
Hanover Street Bridge
View of the bridge facing northwest, from West Covington Park
Coordinates39°15′28.0″N 76°36′58.6″W
Carriesfive lanes (2 north, 2 south, 1 reversible) of MD 2, pedestrians
CrossesPatapsco River
LocaleBaltimore, Maryland
Official nameVietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge
ID number#BC5210[1]
Characteristics
DesignBeaux Arts-style reinforced cantilever bridge
Bascule bridge
Total length2,290 feet (698 m)
History
DesignerJ. E. Greiner Company
Opened1916
Location

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 J. E. Greiner Company, 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 (700 m) long.

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

In the 1990s, the area under the bridge became the site of a rough and sometimes murderously violent "tent city" campsite for the homeless.[4]

As of January 2016, the bridge is in a state of disrepair, riddled with numerous potholes – some exposing the rebar below.

See also

Notes
  1. "Highway Location Reference: Baltimore City" (PDF). Maryland State Highway Administration. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-14. 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, archived from the original on May 10, 2009
  4. Hermann, Peter (December 18, 1996). "Suspect in slaying says he killed 2 others; Police searches yield no evidence for claims". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
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