anchor Description
This project provides for the replacement of the existing Brink Road Bridge over Great Seneca Creek. The existing bridge, built in 1972, is a one span 58'-3" steel beam with an asphalt filled corrugated metal deck structure carrying a 23'-6" clear roadway with W-beam guardrail on each side. The proposed replacement bridge includes a one span 58' prestressed NEXT beam structure with a 34'-0" clear roadway width. The project includes 400-feet of approach roadway work west of the bridge to reduce flooding frequency and improvements to the intersection with Wightman Road approximately 20' east of the bridge. In addition, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) Seneca Creek Green hiker-biker trail crossing will be improved at the intersection. The new bridge will carry two lanes of traffic with two 11' travel lanes and 6' wide shoulders for a clear roadway width of 34'. A traffic signal will be constructed at the intersection of Wightman Road and Brink Road. To meet Program Open Space (POS) land conversion requirements land needs to be purchased at the corner of Wightman Road and Brink Road and a parking lot constructed for trail users.
anchorCapacity
The roadway Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 12,000 and the roadway capacity will not change as a result of this project.
anchorEstimated Schedule
Design is expected to be completed in summer 2025. Site improvements and utility work will begin in FY25. Construction is scheduled to begin in summer 2026 and be completed in the winter of 2026. The bridge will be closed to traffic from June 2026 to August 2026.
anchorCost Change
Costs increase due to rising construction costs caused by material and labor shortages, as well as scope increase to include a parking lot for trail users as required by the Program Open Space (POS) land conversion law and the need for a traffic signal at the intersection of Brink Road and Wightman Road.
anchor Justification
The proposed replacement work is necessary to provide a safe roadway condition for the travelling public. The 2022 bridge inspection report for Bridge No. M-0064 indicates that the bridge steel beams are in poor condition with areas of 100 percent section loss. As a result, the bridge is inspected on a 12-month frequency. The bridge is functionally obsolete with a clear roadway width of 24' and carries approximately 12,000 vehicles per day. The bridge is closed two to three times a year due to flooding of the Great Seneca Creek. The project will reduce the flooding frequency to once every five years.
anchorFiscal Note
The costs of bridge construction and construction management for this project are eligible for up to 80 percent Federal Aid. The design costs for this project are covered in the Bridge Design project (CIP No. 509132).
anchorDisclosures
A pedestrian impact analysis has been completed for this project.
anchorCoordination
Federal Highway Administration - Federal Aid Bridge Replacement/Rehabilitation Program, Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, Utilities, and Bridge Design PDF (CIP 509132).