Historic Germantown Pedestrian Bridge Opens

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

eb:pedbridge.pr 01-24

Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Ed Daniel, 240-777-7170

For Immediate Release: January 18, 2001

Historic Germantown Pedestrian Bridge Opens

County and state officials today celebrated the opening of a long awaited pedestrian bridge in historic Germantown, located at the MARC train station, that enables residents, train passengers, and bicyclists to safely cross the CSX railroad tracks and makes transit more accessible. Officials also formally welcomed the MARC ticket agent, Harold Snell, to the renovated Germantown train station building, an exact replica of the original constructed 110 years ago. The station has not had a ticket agent for 30 years.

To commemorate the occasion, the Germantown Historical Society unveiled several photographs of old Germantown that will be permanently displayed in the MARC station. The County designed the bridge and the station to complement the Germantown Historic District location.

"Encouraging commuters to use mass transit is essential if we are to solve our transportation problems and relieve traffic congestion," said Albert J. Genetti, Jr., director of the Montgomery County Department of Public Works and Transportation. "We have made it even easier for residents to access and use transit at the Germantown station by constructing the pedestrian bridge, adding parking, increasing Ride-On bus service with State financial assistance, and housing the MARC ticket agent right in the station. I hope we'll see even greater numbers of commuters discovering why transit is convenient, relaxing, and a more comfortable way to get to work."

Special paving, brick sidewalks, landscaping and old-style light fixtures were used in the rehabilitation of the former MD-118 bridge to give it an historic look. The bridge, which provides passageway from Walter Johnson Road to Liberty Mill Road, was originally built in 1905 to serve the Village of Germantown developing around the B&O railroad station.

"I'm thrilled that the bridge is finally completed," said Councilmember Nancy Dacek. "This bridge serves as a link for residents of the Germantown historic district."

The Germantown station is the most-heavily used MARC station in Montgomery County, serving 1,000 riders a day. Passengers are now able to purchase tickets and obtain schedules in the same location where they board trains.

The MARC ticket agent was formerly located in the old Germantown Bank building, across the street from the station. The County will renovate the bank and turn it over to the Germantown Historical Society for use as a community museum. The renovation will be a joint project of the County, the Maryland Mass Transit Administration, and the Historical Society.

For more information, call Edward Daniel at 240-777-7170. For MARC train information, call the Germantown ticket agent at 301-540-9641 weekdays between 5 a.m. and 12:45 p.m.

# # #

News Releases | News