Press Releases
Montgomery County Executive Elrich to Join Silver Spring Community Members as Department of Transportation Dedicates Rebuilt Park Valley Road Bridge Over Sligo Creek on Friday, Nov. 15
For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 14, 2019
Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich will join Silver Spring community members and Federal, State and local officials to dedicate the new Park Valley Road Bridge over Sligo Creek in Silver Spring at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) managed the project that includes realignment of the nearby Sligo Creek Hiker/Biker Trail.
The dedication ceremonies will be at the bridge, which is located on Park Valley Road over Sligo Creek—about two-tenths of a mile from Piney Branch Road in Silver Spring
County Executive Elrich and MCDOT Director Chris Conklin will talk about the significant safety improvements that the new bridge will deliver, while preserving the character of the original bridge. The bridge and reconfigured trail project will improve pedestrian and bicycle safety, access to the hiker/biker trail, will meet ADA standards and improve traffic safety.
The 1931-vintage bridge was in poor condition. The new 34-foot, single-span bridge includes a 5-foot, 8-inch-wide sidewalk on the south side. An 85-foot approach roadway and an 85-foot sidewalk connector tie the bridge to the existing roadway and trail.
The project is an example of the County’s efforts to modify infrastructure in a manner that supports the goals of the County’s Vision Zero program, which seeks to reduce severe and fatal injuries in traffic-related collisions.
The project includes a 12-foot-wide, 65-foot-long, steel truss pedestrian bridge over Sligo Creek; a new, 10-foot-wide, 213-foot-long hard surface trail that links the new pedestrian bridge to the existing Sligo Creek Trail; a safer, reconfigured intersection at Park Valley Road/Sligo Creek Parkway with a new crosswalk and a six-foot-wide trail pedestrian/bicyclist refuge median on Park Valley Road; and a new, five-foot-wide, 190 –foot-long natural surface pedestrian path along the existing hard surface trail.
MCDOT maintained access across the bridge for pedestrians and bicyclists throughout the construction project. The department worked closely with the community to seek input on design and to collaborate on ways to minimize construction impacts on residents and the environment.
The total project cost is $4.85 million and was funded with approximately $3.5 million in federal funds and $1.3 million in local funds.
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Media Contact: Neil H. Greenberger 240-777-6532