This is a list of crossings of Rock Creek. Rock Creek runs for 31 miles from its source in Montgomery County, Maryland, to its mouth at the Potomac River, of which the final nine miles lies in Washington, D.C. The entirety of Rock Creek downstream of the Maryland border is within Rock Creek Park (except for a small portion that runs through the National Zoo). The crossings built after Rock Creek Park was established in 1890 until World War II tended to be stone-faced bridges constructed to harmonize with the rustic surroundings, while postwar bridges were more utilitarian concrete and steel structures. Of the 35 crossings, 23 are covered by a Historic American Engineering Record (HAER), and two bridges—the gargantuan Taft Bridge and the bucolic Boulder Bridge—are on the National Register of Historic Places. History and Description , pp. 3, 5–6, 22–23, 25, 36

The first two crossings of Rock Creek were at the sites of the present M Street Bridge (1788) and K Street Bridge (1792), near the mouth of the creek.Ross, Amy (1992). History and Description By the early twentieth century, when the initial plans for the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway were being made, many of the bridges along its intended path in the lower portion of the valley were utilitarian steel-truss bridges at K Street, Pennsylvania Avenue, M Street, P Street, and Calvert Street, and there was a massive earthen embankment carrying Massachusetts Avenue across the valley, with a tunnel underneath for the creek to pass through. The sole crossing of any architectural value was the monumental 1907 Taft Bridge. Construction of the parkway entailed the replacement of all of these crossings except the Taft Bridge to align with the park's intended aesthetics, and the erecting of many more.Davis, Timothy (1992). History and Description , pp. 9, 47, 62, 91

Farther upstream, at the time the upper portion of Rock Creek Park was established in 1890, the area was mainly undeveloped woodland containing small farms and mills accessed by private roads. Most crossings of the creek were fords rather than bridges, except for bridges at Military Road and Peirce Mill. Much of the initial development of the park was overseen by Lansing H. Beach, after whom Beach Drive is named.

Nearly all of the remaining portion of Rock Creek in Maryland is part of Rock Creek Stream Valley Park and Rock Creek Regional Park. This portion of the park was established in 1902. Rock Creek in Maryland flows through densely developed suburbs and is crossed by several major highways.

District of Columbia Image Crossing Carries Built Length References and notes CoordinatesThompson Boat Center FootbridgepedestriansK Street BridgeK Street and Whitehurst Freeway1939–41 (lower level); 1947–49 (upper level)497 feetHAER . Earlier bridges on the site were built in 1792, 1869, and 1907.L Street BridgeRock Creek and Potomac Parkway1981–83HAER , pp. 92, 98, NPS Earlier bridges on the site were built ca. 1933 and ca. 1943.Pennsylvania Avenue BridgePennsylvania Avenue1915–16276 feetHAER . Portions of the earlier bridge, built 1858–60, are encased inside the current bridgeM Street BridgeM Street1929–30308 feetHAER . Earlier bridges on the site were built in 1788, 1800, 1839, and 1871.P Street BridgeP Street1933–35HAER . Earlier bridges on the site were built in 1855 and 1871.Bridge near P StreetRock Creek and Potomac Parkway1935–36111 feetHAER Dumbarton BridgeQ Street1915265 feetHAER Lyon's Mill Footbridgepedestrians1932–3488 feetHAER Charles C. Glover Memorial BridgeMassachusetts Avenue1939–41420 feetHAER . Earlier bridges on the site were built in 1888 and 1901.Saddle Club Footbridgepedestrians1934110 feetHAER Shoreham Hill BridgeRock Creek and Potomac Parkway1938220 feetHAER Taft BridgeConnecticut Avenue1897–1907901 feetHAER . National Register of Historic Places. Site of former Woodley Lane Bridge (HAER ), built 1889.Edgewater Stables BridgeEdgewater Stables drivewayDuke Ellington BridgeCalvert Street1933–1935825 feetHAER . Earlier bridge on the site was built in 1891.South Portal BridgeBeach Drive1966HAER , p. 110Jewett Street BridgeJewett StreetInternal to National Zoological Park groundsOld Harvard Street BridgeNational Zoo Drive1900–1901148 feetHAER . Earlier bridge on the site was built in 1892.New Harvard Street BridgeHarvard Street1965HAER Klingle Ford BridgeKlingle RoadHAER , p. 35Porter Street BridgePorter StreetBluffs Footbridgepedestrians193490 feetHAER Footbridge near Jusserand MemorialpedestriansPeirce Mill BridgeTilden Street1872; additions in 1895 and 1921178 feetHAER . Earlier bridge on the site was built in the 1860s. Near Peirce Mill.Blagden Avenue BridgeBeach Drive1956107 feetHAER , p. 10Boulder BridgeBeach Drive1901–02130 feetHAER . National Register of Historic PlacesRapids Footbridgepedestrians1934110 feetHAER Joyce Road BridgeJoyce Road192954 feetHAER . Earlier bridges on the site were built in 1862 and 1905. Also called Old Military Road Bridge.Military Road BridgeMilitary Road1955?HAER , p. 146Milkhouse FordMilkhouse Ford Road (abandoned)190474 feetHAER . The only ford remaining in the parkMilkhouse Ford BridgeBeach Drive1956HAER , p. 12 Earlier bridge on the site was built in 1926.Rolling Meadow Footbridgepedestrians193494 feetHAER Sherrill Drive BridgeSherrill Drive196279 feetHAER , p. 14, 76 Earlier bridge on the site was built in 1924.Riley Springs Footbridgepedestrians1934–35120 feetHAER Kalmia BridgeWest Beach Drive195868 feetHAER , p. 13Boundary Footbridgepedestrians1934–35127 feetHAER

Maryland ImageCrossingLocationNotesCoordinatesRock Creek TrailChevy Chase and Silver SpringRock Creek TrailRock Creek TrailMeadowbrook Park footbridge East–West HighwayPurple LineGeorgetown Branch TrailUnder construction; previous bridge demolishedRock Creek Trail Built in 2007footbridge to Ireland TrailJones Mill RoadRock Creek Trail Capital BeltwayChevy Chase and Silver Spring/South KensingtonChevy Chase Lake & Kensington Railway (defunct)Chevy Chase and South KensingtonKensington ParkwayChevy Chase and South Kensington Connecticut AvenueChevy Chase/Bethesda and South KensingtonCedar LaneBethesda and South KensingtonBeach DriveBeach DriveNorth Bethesda and South Kensington Knowles AvenueCSX Metropolitan SubdivisionNorth Bethesda and South Kensington/North KensingtonGarrett Park RoadNorth Bethesda and Wheatonfootbridge to Macon RoadRandolph RoadRock Creek TrailParklawn Community Garden drivewayRock Creek TrailNorth Bethesda and RockvilleParklawn Cemetery drivewayTwinbrook Connector Trail Veirs Mill Roadfootbridge to Linthicum StreetRockville and Aspen HillBaltimore RoadAspen Hill Norbeck RoadRockville and Aspen HillRock Creek TrailAspen HillRock Creek TrailAspen Hill and DerwoodAvery RoadSouthlawn LaneRedlandLake Needwood DamWestside TrailNeedwood Road Intercounty ConnectorUpper Rock Creek Trail Muncaster Mill RoadMuncaster Roadbetween Laytonsville and RedlandRock Creek Park RoadUpper Rock Creek TrailFieldcrest RoadLaytonsville Golf Course fairwayculvert under fairwayLaytonsville Golf Course fairwayculvert under fairwayLaytonsville Golf Course damLaytonsville Golf Course drivewayDorsey Road

See also

References