COCKEYSVILLE, Md. — The first step to replace the Warren Road bridge is to apply for federal funding to back the project.
However, Delegate Michele Guyton told WMAR-2 News that step hasn't happened yet, a year after construction was supposed to start.
Delegate says Baltimore officials dragging feet on county bridge replacement
The Warren Road bridge has long since been an issue for Baltimore County residents.
People call the 103-year-old bridge a rust bucket, say it's too narrow, or avoid it entirely like Delegate Guyton.
"We're really concerned right now also about the effects of what might happen if the bridge does collapse; not only to loss of life, destruction of property, the Baltimore water system would be incredibly tainted, but also the surrounding areas would most likely flood," she said.
Construction to replace it was supposed to start last year.
Baltimore City DPW, the department overseeing the bridge's maintenance, told us that construction hasn't begun due to limited federal funding.
However, the inaction led Guyton to email the State Highway Administration, who gave her a response that was more than disappointing.
"It turned out that the application had not in fact been sent to the county or to the State Highway Administration, where it needs to go in order to be funded."
She reached out to the city afterwards, who she says told her that they're still working on the application with their legal team.
WMAR-2 News reached out to Baltimore City DPW; they said that they're looking into it.
Guyton told us she feels like it's obvious that the bridge is not a priority for the city, saying the biggest problem is the fact that the city has the reigns at all.
"And that was put into place over 100 years ago, and it is not working for us today. So what has got to be re-examined. We passed a bill in 2023 to put a work group in place to re-examine that, and here we are again, 2026, and they've only just begun meeting."
She said, moving forward, she'll continue to advocate for her people living in her district.
That includes looking into possible legislation to introduce during the 2027 session to solve the issue.
Claims that Baltimore City has made no effort to address the Warren Road Bridge are simply inaccurate.
The City has been actively engaged in discussions with Baltimore County and the State to identify a responsible, long-term solution.
While the City owns and maintains the Warren Road Bridge as part of the Greater Baltimore Watershed, the bridge primarily serves County residents, and therefore full restoration and repair of the bridge can only be completed in partnership with Baltimore County.
The City's Department of Transportation has evaluated the bridge and determined it can continue to operate safely today.
However, those same engineering assessments make clear that a long-term funding strategy is necessary to avoid future disruption to the regional transportation services the bridge provides.
We will continue to work closely with the County and State to plan for repairs to the bridge through a fair, regional funding partnership.
