Safety concerns surround Nice/Middleton bike crossing plan

Mechanicsville resident Josh Gleason of Sky High Aerials captured this image on the day the new span of the Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial/Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge, in foreground, opened to traffic. Demolition of the old span next to the new bridge is ongoing.

Bike access is coming to the new Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial/Sen. Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge starting June 10, though not everyone is ready to jump on their bikes and pedal.

"It's a sad day for Charles County,"Eric Brenner, former chair of the Maryland Bike and Pedestrian advisory committee, told Southern Maryland News this week.

The Maryland Transportation Authority announced the plan to allow bike crossing in a press release on Tuesday.

According to the release, bicyclists will be allowed to cross the bridge on weekends and state holidays only from dawn to dusk, and must use specific motorized vehicle lanes on the new bridge.

"The Maryland Transportation Authority urges bicyclists and motorists to share the bridge and cross with care," the release stated.

Riders will be restricted to ages 18 and up or riders with a valid drivers license, will not be be permitted to stop on the bridge, and access by cyclists will be restricted in the event of high traffic, adverse weather conditions or accidents.

Riders were also encouraged to only cross between dawn and 10 a.m. or between 4 p.m. and dusk on Saturdays, from dawn to noon and 6 p.m. to dusk on Sundays, and anytime between dawn and dusk on state holidays based on projected traffic volumes.

While bikes will have limited access to the bridge, public comments received by the transit authority from April 12 to May 10 were unanimously filled with safety concerns about bicyclists having to share the bridge with cars.

"This is highly unsafe, on top of the fact that you are relying on out-of-state/out-of-town drivers to understand what these flashing lights are for, and relying on the bicyclists to press a button to ensure the light is flashing," one commenter said.

The Maryland Transit Authority redacted personal information such as names from all of the comments received by the agency.

Brenner agreed with criticisms, calling the crossing "the least safe bicycle access on a bridge that I can imagine."

"Very few people will use it due to lack of safety," Brenner said, who had major concerns about mixing bike and high speed car traffic on the same bridge.

Multiple comments called for a dedicated bike lane to be added to the bridge, similar to comments made by a trio of cycling groups when they unsuccessfully sued to stop demolition of the old Nice-Middleton bridge in September 2022.

Walt Roscello, a member of the Oxon Hill Bicycle and Trail Club, shared the same safety concerns when asked by Southern Maryland News shortly after the lawsuit was filed.

"There will be no choice but to be occupying the right hand side of the travel lane, and at that point you’ll be entirely dependent on motorists noticing and properly following the overhead signage and warning signage to ensure that you’re not passed by a vehicle," Roscello said.

About $2 million in improvements were made to the bridge to accommodate lane sharing for bicyclists, including warning signs, a push-button activated warning beacon system and modular expansion joints on the bridge to be friendlier for cyclists.

In addition, cyclists were asked to ride single file on the bridge and position themselves in the center of the right lane while crossing.

However, the lack of a dedicated bike lane has been a sticking point for cyclists since original plans for the bridge contained a dedicated bike lane as far back as June 2019. That plan was axed in November 2019 in favor of a four-lane bridge without bike lanes.

A plan to keep the old bridge in place as a crossing for pedestrians and cyclists was also scrapped when neither Charles County nor the Virginia Department of Transportation agreed to take over the bridge due to concerns around maintenance costs and the steep grade of the old bridge that would hinder recreational use.

Demolition of the old Nice-Middleton Bridge began shortly after the new bridge was opened. The remains of the old bridge are slated to be used for an artificial reef.

Twitter: @DarrylSoMdNews

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