Patapsco Swinging Bridge
NBI Information
Location
State: Maryland
County: Baltimore County
Feature Carried: Grist Mill Trail
Feature Crossed: Patapsco River
Latitude, Longitude: 39.2410,-76.7497
Toll: N/A
Maintenance Responsibility: N/A
Structure Open, Posted, or Closed to Traffic: Open to Pedestrians
History
Year Built: 2003
Historical Significance: N/A
Year Reconstructed: None
Picture Date: April 25, 2024
Geometry
Lanes on Structure: 0
Lanes under Structure: 0
Skew: 0 degrees
Number of Main Spans: 1
Main Structure Type: Suspension
Main Structure Material: Steel
Number of Approach Spans: 0
Approach Structure Type: None
Approach Structure Material: None
Condition
Bridge is not on the National Bridge Inventory.
Bridge Information
The Patapsco Swinging Bridge was built in 2003 as part of a new multi-use trail in Patapsco Valley State Park. This bridge is a wire cable suspension bridge with a wooden deck.
This bridge is modeled after the previous bridge in the area. Mill workers would use this bridge to commute to work at the Orange Grove Flour Mill, instead of walking 2 miles to Ilchester and catching the train back down to the mill. The bridge was replaced 3 or 4 times after natural disasters such as floods and ice flows destroyed it. Detailed records are not available.
References
Maryland.gov: https://dnr.maryland.gov/centennial/Pages/Centennial-Notes/Gristmill.aspx
Maryland.gov: https://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/central/PatapscoValley/Patapsco-Grist-Mill-Trail.aspx
