Demolition Postponed For Pedestrian Bridge In Towson

TOWSON, MD — The pedestrian bridge that connects the Sheraton to Towson Town Center was set for demolition this weekend. But plans changed, and the work has reportedly been put on hold.

Originally, Fairmount Avenue was to be closed from 9 p.m. on Friday, April 27, to 6 a.m. on Monday, April 30, to allow for the bridge to be demolished.

During the construction work, traffic was to be detoured onto Providence, Joppa and Dulaney Valley Roads. The Maryland Transit Administration advised that public buses would be taking alternate routes and discontinuing a bus stop on Dulaney Valley at Fairmount.

But the evening before the closure was to begin on Fairmount Avenue, it was reported that the project was delayed because all the "i"s were not dotted and "t"s were not crossed on the permit. According to The Baltimore Sun, the real estate firm CBRE had not signed off on its portion of the permit regarding Dulaney Valley Center, so the Fairmount closure and bridge demolition were postponed. A new date has not yet been set.

Councilman David Marks said he was not in favor of the decision to take down the bridge and hoped a different outcome would prevail.

"The bridge is privately owned, but candidly, I am very disappointed with the Sheraton's decision to remove one of three major pedestrian bridges in Towson, I believe it's a poor decision with the likely opening of a new hotel at Towson Row," Marks posted on his Facebook page on Tuesday upon learning of the demolition.

"We have three pedestrian bridges in Towson..." Marks, who represents the area, told Fox 45 on Thursday. While he said the structure was not by any means iconic, he said it "promotes connectivity in his area" and noted he would like to see alternatives to demolition.

Image via Google maps.