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The Hanover Street Bridge – officially, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge – is a
bascule bridge A bascule bridge (also referred to as a drawbridge or a lifting bridge) is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances a span, or leaf, throughout its upward swing to provide clearance for boat traffic. It may be single- or ...
crossing the middle branch of the
Patapsco River The Patapsco River mainstem is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 river in central Maryland that flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal po ...
along Hanover Street (
Maryland Route 2 Maryland Route 2 (MD 2) is the longest state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The route runs from Solomons Island in Calvert County north to an intersection with U.S. Route 1 (US 1)/ US 40 Truck ( North Avenue) in Baltimore. The route r ...
) in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
. The bridge was built to replace the mile-long "Long Bridge" built by Richard Cromwell in 1856 to move products from his orchard in Anne Arundel County to downtown Baltimore. The Hanover Street Bridge connects the southern base of the industrialized
South Baltimore South Baltimore is a neighborhood in the Southern District of Baltimore, located to the west of the neighborhood of Riverside and south of Federal Hill. Its boundaries are marked by East Ostend Street (north), Light Street (east), Race Street (w ...
to the neighborhood of Cherry Hill and Brooklyn. The bridge carries five lanes of traffic: two northbound, two southbound, and one reversible. It employs a lane control system and carries two sidewalks on either side. Designed by J. E. Greiner Company, the bridge was constructed in 1916 and is characterized as a Beaux Arts-style reinforced cantilever bridge. It is known for its beautiful arches as it spans the water. In the center of the bridge is a drawbridge span surrounded on four corners by classic style towers which lend it a distinctive appearance. The bridge is long. On May 30, 1993,
Baltimore Mayor The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the ...
Kurt Schmoke officially renamed the bridge the "Vietnam Veterans Memorial Bridge". In the 1990s, the area under the bridge became the site of a rough and sometimes murderously violent "
tent city A tent city is a temporary housing facility made using tents or other temporary structures. State governments or military organizations set up tent cities to house evacuees, refugees, or soldiers. UNICEF's Supply Division supplies expandable ten ...
" campsite for the homeless. , the bridge is in a state of disrepair, riddled with numerous potholes – some exposing the rebar below.


See also

* Joe Metheny


Notes

Bascule bridges in the United States Beaux-Arts architecture in Maryland Bridges completed in 1916 Cantilever bridges in the United States Crossings of the Patapsco River Monuments and memorials in Maryland Road bridges in Maryland Vietnam War monuments and memorials in the United States {{Maryland-bridge-struct-stub