The National Park Service says a temporary staircase will be put in place until a new one is completed.
Harpers Ferry, WV
Harpers Ferry, WV (KM) A new stairway which leads to the walkway on the Goodloe Byron Bridge from Harpers Ferry across the Potomac River and to the C&O Canal Lock 34 is expected to be constructed. Christiana Hanson with the National Park Service says this new structure will replace a staircase that is very narrow and made of out metal grades.
Starting this week, a temporary stairway will be constructed so that park visitors can still have access to the bridge and cross the Potomac Rive into Maryland. “We know this is a really popular trail. We know a lot of people want to use it. And we want to make sure that visitors have access through the time of the construction project. It’s going to be about a year as we build a new stairs,” she says.
The bridge will be closed for about a week while a temporary staircase is being installed. Hanson says the Park Service will provide shuttle service from Harpers Ferry to the C&O Canal on the Maryland side of the river.
In addition to the bridge being very popular with hikers, bikers and those who walk their dogs, Hanson says the walkway is part of a wider trail network. “It is the bridge that goes from Lower Town in Harpers Ferry over to the towpath over to the Maryland Heights Trail. which is one of the very popular trails. It’s also part of the Appalachian Trail,” she says.
Because the Goodloe Byron Bridge is a railroad bridge, any activity on the span must be cleared with CSX. “Anything that happens on the Byron Bridge is something that you need to work with CSX, and work very closely. So we work positively with the railroad. But anything like that it’s one of the reasons that it’s just going to take a little longer for a project to get started. There’s a lot of people that need to be in the room and giving the thumbs up to move forward with work,” she says.
By Kevin McManus