Location
Montgomery County, MD
Status
Schematic Design
Client
MTA
The densely wooded site for this project is located at a point of confluence between Rock Creek Park and the historic Georgetown Branch Line. The paired bridge design seeks to mediate between two distinct regional bridge typologies. Bridge typologies typical of Rock Creek Park, flat-arch type and monumental-arch type were merged with historic through-truss rail types identic to the Georgetown Branch Line, thus informing the trussed-arch type LRT bridge and strut dampened stress ribbon pedestrian bicycle bridge. The resultant composition mends the conflicting vernaculars of both respective corridors at this point of convergence.
The vertical and horizontal alignments of the LRT and pedestrian and bicycle bridge were optimized in the planning process in order to minimize the impacts on the delicate hillside and maximize the view corridor along the existing Rock Creek Trail path below. A unique constraint of the pedestrian bike trail needing to shift from the north side to the south side of the LRT alignment allowed for a diagonal “crossunder” bridge alignment
