A 19th-century bridge that collapsed Monday as a septic truck crossed over it passed an inspection last December in “fair” condition, according to the Baltimore County Department of Public Works and Transportation.
The Carroll Road Bridge, set atop a stream that branches into Big Gunpowder Falls, fell around 5:20 p.m. in a wooded area of Phoenix. While a family-owned business tanker is still stuck in the ruin, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of the Environment said its sewage has been transferred without leaks and there appear to be no issues with its fuel tanks.
As of Tuesday afternoon, a detour route had not been finalized around the one-lane bridge, which averaged more than 2,500 crossing drivers every day, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Public Works spokesperson Ron Snyder told The Baltimore Sun “it’s too early” to tell when a new or restored crossing might be finished. Workers will have to clear the fractured metal and a tree that fell onto the bridge before the septic truck can be removed, he said.
Photographs shared online by the county show the downed tree missed the back of the septic truck, extending diagonally from almost one end of the bridge to the road beyond it. It was not immediately clear when or why the tree fell, or how heavy the truck was.
County police are still investigating the cause of the collapse and the family-owned septic business did not respond to a reporter’s phone call Tuesday.
Snyder said the bridge was capable of carrying 51,000 pounds, the equivalent of about ten Ford F-150s.
According to the Maryland Historical Trust, a research and conservation agency within the state’s planning department, the Carrol Road Bridge was the third oldest metal truss bridge in its inventory catalogue. Such structures, characterized by their triangular supports, were first used in Maryland to carry rail lines, including parts of the B&O Railroad, and according to the trust, Baltimore County was an early leader in constructing them.
State records show the county began receiving proposals in May 1879 for a 90-foot iron bridge at the intersection of Philpot and Carroll roads, near a blacksmith shop. The job eventually went to a Pennsylvania-based manufacturer for $1,000 — around $32,000 in today’s currency — and was paid out by October of that year.
Ironically, Monday’s collapse was not the first calamity at Carroll Road Bridge.
According to the trust, in 1898, the Carroll Road Bridge was toppled and washed away in a rainstorm, a fate met by many of Maryland’s early truss structures. Even so, a state journal entry reported that while it was “pretty well wrecked,” with many of its irons “twisted and bent out of shape,” the crossing was rebuilt less than two months later.
Over the decades, the Carroll Road Bridge has maintained its historical features through several “sensitive” renovations, including a wooden plank floor. When the historical trust surveyed the bridge in 2004, it determined the bridge retains its integrity of design, setting and feeling and represents “a rapidly diminishing resource type.”
David Buck, a spokesperson for the Maryland Department of Planning, said Tuesday that because the Carroll Road Bridge spanned over a waterway, any reconstruction effort will likely require state and federal permits.
During that process, he said the Maryland Historical Trust will ensure “the historic resource” is considered appropriately, but noted the final design decisions will be made by another agency.
“We are saddened by the loss of one of Maryland’s remaining historic metal truss bridges and stand ready to assist Baltimore County as next steps are evaluated,” he said.
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