Improvements Maryland Route 32

riverside view of md 32 s former aluminum girder bridge in sykesville

in 1956, portion of md 32 fenby north westminster , westminster west through taneytown , emmitsburg pennsylvania state line renumbered md 97, had been extended north howard county. portion of md 32 md 26 in eldersburg md 97 in fenby transferred county maintenance @ same time. in 1960, road eldersburg fenby returned state highway system. in addition, md 97 moved new alignment, new washington road; new alignment ran fenby us 140, connected baltimore gettysburg, in westminster. md 97 followed westminster bypass northwest side of city. subsequently, md 32 extended along original alignment through westminster md 97 near western maryland college (now mcdaniel college). md 32 later assigned original alignment fountain valley east of taneytown when md 97 s new alignment between 2 communities completed in 1965. disjoint segment of md 32 renumbered md 832 in 1978. in 1979, us 140 decommissioned; highways baltimore westminster , westminster through emmitsburg became md 140. md 97 moved present course westminster toward gettysburg. md 32 s northern terminus rolled md 31 around 1987. state highway truncated @ westminster city limit in 2001 following reconstruction of main street , transfer city maintenance.

md 32 reconstructed , widened sykesville eldersburg starting in 1957 , west friendship south of sykesville in 1958. state highway s bypass of sykesville completed in 1963; old road through center of sykesville became md 851. md 32 s new bridge across patapsco river longest of 3 aluminum triangular box beam girder bridges constructed in united states. girder system topped concrete slab deck , underlain standard concrete abutments , piers , steel bearing pads on aluminum girders rested. these bridges, designed fairchild engine , airplane company, constructed of aluminum due metal s light weight similar strength compared steel. many experimental aluminum bridges built due severe shortage of steel in 1960s. aluminum bridges constructed because more expensive steel , concrete bridges.

in 1990s, mdsha discovered bridge s rarity while conducting bridge inventory. inventory found premature deterioration of supports due galvanic corrosion involving steel bearing pads , aluminum girder structure. because repairing structure have been extremely difficult, mdsha decided build replacement bridge west of aluminum bridge; new bridge opened in 2004 along slight relocation in md 32 on both sides of bridge. aluminum bridge added state s historic bridge registry , left in place historic landmark after md 32 s new bridge on patapsco river opened.