Delmarva Highways :: Abandoned US 50 / US 213 (Emerson C. Harrington Memorial Bridge)

The Emerson C. Harrington Memorial Drawbridge opened on October 26, 1935, and was the longest continuous span in the State of Maryland. In fact, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the opening ceremonies to this bridge, and his presidential yacht was the first boat to travel through it's center swing span on the Choptank River in Cambridge.

After 52 years of service, after suffering many mechanical problems with it's draw mechanisms, and with its substandard bridge decking, the Harrington bridge was retired from service, as the new Frederick C. Malkus bridge opened in May of 1987. The center steel trusses (3 stationary, 1 center swing span) were removed, and the two remaining approach spans were converted into fishing piers (the first such occurrence in the State of Maryland).

This bridge originally served traffic for US 213. When US 213 was truncated to Wye Mills, US 50 was routed across the Harrington bridge.

	Former approach lanes on the Dorchester County side of the piers, which have been converted to a parking lot.
	The dedication plaques for both the Harrington bridge, and the newer Frederick C. Malkus bridge. The official dedication plaque for the Harrington bridge was removed from it's original location on the foot of the bridge, and onto a special monument containing the dedication plaques of both the Malkus and Harrington bridges. Special note to road fans... you may recognize a couple of the names on the second plaque. MD 2 from Annapolis to Baltimore was dedicated to Governor Albert Ritchie, and Governor Harry Nice has a bridge named in his honor crossing the Potomac River on US 301.
	The former carriageway on the Harrington bridge. The travel lanes are a now substandard 10-foot width. Also notice the "protected walkway" on the left side of the bridge. I don't know anyone who used this walkway in the later years of this bridge except the draw tenders... since the draw tender's control house was situated so that it was elevated and built into the center swing span.
	A side profile of the Dorchester County side of the old bridge.
	The newer Frederick C. Malkus bridge's profile. Notice the whitecaps on the water... it was a really windy day the day I took these photos.
	The new and the old... side by side. If you look closely... you can notice where the center truss spans were removed.
	Since the bridge no longer services traffic... in some places it has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. I just hope I'm still holding up as well as this bridge is when I'm over 70 years old.
	Another side profile of the Harrington bridge. A wooden boardwalk was built from the bridge, and goes along the beach and under the new bridge, and leads to a visitor center at the foot of the Malkus bridge.
	Looking back toward Cambridge. A small portion of the former travel lanes were converted into parking for the fishing pier. As soon as you left the bridge, the road split into a 4-lane divided highway. This was one of the last 2-lane portions of US 50 to be bypassed.
	The old and the new. (Photo courtesy of the City of Cambridge)

	The former eastbound approach lanes now serve as a parking lot and entrance to the Talbot County side of the fishing pier.
	The former carriageway itself. The pier was closed at the time of taking these photos, so only pigeons and seagulls were enjoying the view.
	A profile shot taken from the bank of the Choptank River.
	Just as on the Dorchester County side, a plaque is displayed showing those who were responsible for building the bridge.
	The approach lanes, facing eastbound. The seams in the pavement from the underlying original concrete roadway shows how the old road used to connect to what is now the current westbound lanes os US 50.

Photos of the Dorchester County side were taken on April 5, 2004 by Corey Dukes
Photos of the Talbot County side were taken February 28, 2007 by Corey Dukes