My comment, why can’t the topsides of the bridge be painted? I recall the guardrails being sandblasted / stripped / repainted a few years back; however the concrete is awful! Peeling, stained and otherwise an eyesore. I know some local folks who would gladly offer time (and even a few dollars) towards painting the concrete.

If this bridge is the “gateway” to Chestertown from the QA side, and we have visitors, prospective College students and their parents etc. considering spending $$ in Chestertown; doesn’t it make sense to paint the bridge? We are excited and thrilled that the marina “district” is getting well deserved attention. Next on the list should be the Bridge. My (and other’s) 2.5 cents.

“Build it and they will come” as they say. If private sector jobs can be created it is wise to think to the future regarding growth and economic stability for Chestertown. It will foster job seekers to fill those jobs which in turn will support an ever widening array of associated businesses. My wife and I have considered Chestertown for retirement but we both lamented on how little seems to be happening there as far as private sector business development. Diversity begets diversity which could promise increased cash flow into your town. Plan properly but be welcoming to growth which will benefit all…

SHA’s study of the Chester River Bridge ignores its critical importance to Chestertown as its gateway and the platform for one of the Eastern Shore’s most iconic panoramic views—Chestertown’s historic riverfront. This summary statement from the SHA study ignores this vital role of the Bridge:

“The SHA’s 2010 study rated the bridge as “functionally obsolete,” though it also found that the bridge is “NOT structurally deficient.”

When SHA’s completed the maintenance work in 2016, it was apparent SHA had no sensitivity to the Bridge’s esthetic and historic role for Chestertown. Many of us travel daily across the Bridge in our cars and look beyond the Bridge’s paltry maintenance, but I urge all residents to walk the Bridge and experience, not only how terrifying this is for a pedestrian, but the eyesore it is. The 2016 maintenance project failed to bring the Bridge’s maintenance up to a standard that reflects the pride and beauty of Chestertown. It is lined with peeling, pock-marked concrete “Jersey barriers” and strewn with debris. Traverse it on foot, and you will see the missed opportunity to create a truly stunning, artful, and beautiful gateway to Chestertown. I hope this cause will be taken up by the Town Council when the next opportunity strikes to have a say about the Chester River Bridge.

Bill — I was pretty young back then, so I wasn’t paying as much attention to that kind of thing as some others. I do know that Vita Foods was already paying $1.00 an hour — I had a summer job there one year, and I doubt I was getting the top rate…

So it is with any proposal to build a new bridge to serve Chestertown. Nothing but negativity. Some day, the people are going to have to accept a new bridge, with or without the community’s approval.