Serving the North Point and Dundalk Communities Along the North Point Blvd - Route 40 Corridor
From Rosedale to Sparrows Point
Welcome to the NEW North Point Association. We started this new organization some time ago. We see problems as well as areas for improvement in our communities. Often, we hear complaints about the problems and talk about what needs to be done but nothing is being done to fix problems and make things better. We’ve found we can accomplish more when residents and communities work together. That’s our motto “Stronger By Working Together”.
We...
- When BGE replaced gas lines along North Point Road and left roads in terrible condition, one of our Board Members worked with BGE and their contractor to have the road repaved.
- When the County replaced a sewer line on North Point Road near Bay Shore Bar, the road was very bumpy and one of our Board Members worked with the County to have it repaved quickly. Once that job was completed, we worked to have the remaining section repaved.
- During ...
For areas that need continued support, we want to create a few Committees to fix problems and suggest areas for improvement. For those who want to participate, please send your information, the Committee that interests you, or any other Committees you want to suggest to [email protected]
Suggested Committees –
- Greater North Point Education – Schools Team (including new school construction, overcrowding, moratorium...
Join Us For Our Next Meeting
Key Bridge Rebuild -
From our January Meeting, this is from the Dundalk Eagle -
Key Bridge Rebuild team provides update on restoration status
Wednesday, Jan. 14 featured another update on the status of the rebuild of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The Greater North Point Association hosted a meeting with the Key Bridge Rebuild team at the Baltimore County Public Library’s Essex branch. Maryland Transportation Authority Chief Engineer James Harkness provided the community with valuable insight into what has been done and what’s on the horizon.
Regarding the increased cost and delayed estimated open-to-traffic date of the rebuild, which are $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion and late 2030, respectively, Harkness said that’s simply because there was no time for studies when the estimates were put together less than two months after the collapse.
“We were working the emergency, and we were working on trying to get the scheduled estimates for the new bridge all at the same time,” Harkness said. “[We] didn’t want to overestimate at the time but had to give them something.”
Once a team of engineers met to examine the damage and start to plan out the rebuild, the estimates started to change, Harkness said. The dimensions of the pylon towers, the height of the clearance and the overall bridge length all changed from the original assumption.
The new bridge will have six piers. Originally, it was believed only four would be needed.
Because the entire rebuild is within a two-mile radius, there is “a lot of work on top of each other,” Harkness said. Logistically, the rebuild cannot reach its second step without completing the first.
“You have limited ability to super accelerate this,” Harkness said.
One guest in attendance, a member of the Essex-Middle River Fishing Club who worked for Bethlehem Steel for 14 years, noted that people would be naive to think the original estimate would be true given it came so quickly.
Harkness dove into the specifics of the bridge’s construction.
The new pylon fender system will have “100%” protection around the piers. The specification is a little over-designed, Harkness said, in preparation for the worst-case scenario.
There will be a gap between the pylon foundation and pier protection system so that if a ship with high enough velocity and mass does make contact, the protection system is designed to reflect to keep a vessel from ever engaging with the bridge’s foundation.
That foundation is different from that of the former Key Bridge, Harkness said.
The rebuild team underwent wind tunnel testing to determine the needed reinforcements for the new bridge under various wind conditions. The model started without traffic and mimicked the bridge with snow, and then traffic was gradually increased on the model.
“The bridge did really well,” Harkness said. “We originally had assumed, because it’s a thin bridge high out, that we were going to need some wind fairings and some other things. We were able to delete the wind fairing so we were able to remove those from the project based on the results of the wind study. So that was a good outcome for us.”
Like the old bridge, the new one will not allow foot traffic or bike lanes, and another lane will not be added.
All of the MDTA projects are funded by toll revenue, Harkness said. In this case, the bridge rebuild is being fronted by toll revenue, and then the MDTA will be reimbursed through the emergency relief program.
Harkness noted the importance of public informative meetings like the one Wednesday night. The entire rebuild team wants to engage with the community so that there’s full transparency and no misunderstandings or lingering questions.
There are numerous ways to stay informed about the rebuild.
Marylanders can sign up for project alerts at keybridgerebuild.com, sign up for a weekly email newsletter, check out the KEYnected project newsletter and follow the Key Bridge Rebuild on Facebook, where the team has had a “Bridging the Facts” series to highlight features of the project.