Wise Avenue Bridge (1948)
Dundalk, Baltimore County, Maryland
Marker Inscription
Wise avenue bridge a d 1948 county commissioners baltimore county, maryland christian h kahl. president bremen a trail john r. haut j fred offutt j. e. greiner company, roads engineer consulting engineers mclean contracting company. contractors w.j.dahleg & son
Erected by County Commissioners Baltimore County, Maryland
The Story
Built in 1948, the Wise Avenue Bridge served the industrial waterfront community of Dundalk in Baltimore County during the postwar boom. Its dedication plaque records the county commissioners, engineers, and contractors who brought the span into being, a snapshot of mid-century public works.
Why it matters
It reflects the wave of infrastructure investment that carried American communities into the automobile age after World War II.
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