Designers of Bridge Predicted Safety Problems, Official Says

A Montgomery County public works official acknowledged last night that designers of a pedestrian bridge under the Capital Beltway in Silver Spring had foreseen safety problems in a dark stretch but had thought that design features and lighting would minimize the danger.

Bruce E. Johnston, who helped steer the $7.7 million project to completion last summer, told a community group last night that after three recent armed robberies on the bridge, county officials recognize that they did not sufficiently heed concerns about pedestrian safety on the bridge.

The bridge has a complex design, which Johnston said is like "threading a needle" that must fly over three Beltway exit ramps, then dip under the Beltway to get pedestrians to and from the Forest Glen Metro station. The goal was to take walkers off Georgia Avenue, where there is high-speed traffic, and design a gentle slope on the bridge to limit the risks to someone using a wheelchair.

"We did try to respond to public concerns," said Johnston, who added that questions about safety arose during public meetings several years ago.

"Obviously, we didn't do it well enough," he said during last night's two-hour meeting of the Linden Civic Association at a Silver Spring community center.

Johnston said county officials also now realize they may need to change their procedures so police and other public safety officials are consulted as early as possible when projects are being designed.

"That's no solace to you now," he told the audience of about 50. "We are looking for that in the future."

Irate residents, including two men who were mugged on the bridge in November, urged officials to address safety concerns quickly.

Better lighting could be installed within a few weeks, said Timothy Cupples, who supervised the project.

Police and public works officials also are considering adding cameras and call boxes. Residents offered to set up community patrols on the bridge and suggested that the county think about creating a webcast of the bridge, much like the traffic cameras whose photos are shown on the county's Web site.

The bridge, which opened in August to much fanfare, including a large community ceremony attended by then-County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D), has been the scene of three armed robberies, most recently Jan. 11.

The incidents have occurred on the darkest and most isolated part of the bridge, where it runs under the Beltway and where pedestrians are largely hidden from view because the lighting is limited and tall railings separate them from Georgia Avenue.

Many parts of the half-mile-long bridge are open and visible. As news of the robberies spread among residents in recent weeks, many began avoiding the bridge. Situated a few miles north of downtown Silver Spring, the bridge has largely been empty except at rush hours, police and residents said.

One of the men who was mugged at gunpoint described the bridge as a "death trap."

"I can't emphasize strongly enough: Don't use it. I would rather take my chances with traffic," said the man, who asked to be identified only by his first name, Peter.

Other residents at the meeting said they had begun to avoid the bridge because they were afraid of being mugged. Two of the muggings occurred during the middle of the day; the third was about 6:30 p.m.

Police have made no arrests in the robberies. Sgt. Kevin B. Sullivan, the police patrol supervisor for the area, said police had stepped up patrols on the bridge and had no plans of easing off in the foreseeable future.