By Charlie Apuya
The Northgate Pedestrian Bridge leading to the University of Maryland’s Computer Science Instructional Center closed down on Oct. 15 following a failed annual structural inspection, according to UMD Facilities Management.
Chief Communications Officer Katie Lawson reported that increased micromobility use caused damage to the bridge, and that developers only kept pedestrian traffic in mind during construction.
The damage rendered crossing the bridge a hazard to both pedestrian and small vehicle traffic. The university expected repairs to last a few weeks, but said it is currently unsure if the bridge requires a full reconstruction.
Hailey Benson-Williams, a junior aerospace engineering major and resident of the Varsity, said that the bridge closure forced her to reroute her usual everyday commute to buildings such as Glenn L. Martin Hall.
“Now, if I want to get to campus, I have to go all the way around [Baltimore Avenue to Paint Branch Trail], and it adds five minutes to my walk,” Benson-Williams said.
Since the bridge’s closure, workers placed detour signs near both ends of the bridge to direct travelers toward alternative walkways. Facilities management put out a formal notification on its service impacts page.
The Varsity informed its residents through an apartment-wide email, but Benson-Williams said many people still try to walk down the pathway leading to the bridge.
“I feel like they could have warned us a little more,” she said. “All the time, I’ll see people walking down, and then they get halfway, look at the bridge, and they’re like ‘oh,’ and they have to turn around.”
Raphael Coronel, a senior information science major and resident of University View, said he found out about the closure through a group chat text and a Reddit post.
“I feel like [the university] didn’t announce it,” said Coronel. “They just closed it off and said, ‘sorry, got to take a detour.’ Maybe there was a formal announcement … but I didn’t see one.”
Benson-Williams said she wanted a clearer timeline of when facilities would complete repairs on the bridge, and stated that neither facilities nor the Varsity communicated any further information after the first notification.
“[The Varsity] initially told us one to two weeks, but it’s been one to two weeks,” said Benson-Williams. “So we just don’t really know when it’s going to be done.”
The University did not respond when asked about a specific expected date of planned repairs.
Featured Image: The bridge near the Varsity has many signs posted up on the gate blocking it off from pedestrians. Photo by Audrey Bengtson.