Bridge Built by Montgomery County Department of Transportation to Connect Kemp Mill Community Wins Statewide Engineering Award – Mocofeed

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has been awarded the 2025 County Engineers Association of Maryland’s (CEAMs) Project of the Year Award for the Auth Lane Pedestrian Bridge project. 

The Project of the Year Award is presented to the outstanding county project that demonstrates responsiveness to citizens’ needs, cost effectiveness, and innovative use of county staff and funds. 

MCDOT designed and constructed the pedestrian bridge on Auth Lane in Silver Spring, which provides safe access over a tributary to the Northwest Branch of the Anacostia River. The project better connects an existing walking path between Auth Lane and Kersey Road which was disrupted by a growing creek bed. While mostly dry, erosion over the years made the creek increasingly difficult to cross.   

The Auth Bridge Pedestrian Bridge project won in the small project category. Awards are presented for small (less than $1,000,000), mid-size (between $1,000,000 and $5,000,000), and large projects (greater than $5,000,000). 

“It does not surprise me that this project won such a prestigious award because it perfectly meets the requirements of responding to community needs in a cost-effective and innovative way,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “Our engineers accounted for elevated flood risks through the design of this bridge, and the Kemp Mill community has a solution that will serve generations to come.”    

Completed in June, the pedestrian bridge is ADA accessible and will allow an easier crossing over the embankment that had been getting steeper.  MCDOT’s Department of Highway Services team designed the bridge, dug out the creek bed and filled it with rocks to mitigate flooding and erosion, and erected a bridge. Heavy rains in July proved a timely reminder that this bridge was needed.  

“It is MCDOT’s mission to build safe, accessible infrastructure for the public,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “As an engineer myself, I know I speak for all MCDOT employees when I say there is no greater feeling than building something you know will have a lasting benefit for a community. I appreciate the efforts of the Kemp Mill Civic Association to bring this project to our attention.”   

The Kemp Mill Civic Association advocated for the project and many community members were present when the bridge officially opened earlier this month.   

“We are very happy with this bridge,” said Kemp Mill Civic Association Vice President and local resident Jonathan Aghion. “It is just a beautiful structure in a beautiful place, among a wooded area that connects our neighborhoods. We’ve decided to dedicate the bridge to a neighbor who has passed away, Nicki Toys, so that her children and friends can visit her and be reminded of the impact her life has had when they walk through here.”  

A memorial is located at the bridge with an inscription that reads:   

Dedicated in loving memory of Nicki Toys. May her soul be bound in the bonds of eternal life. A beacon of empathy, a true friend, her kindness knows no bounds. A source of comfort, a champion of justice, she touched countless lives with her radiant spirit. Her love for family was boundless; her presence a gift. Though her light now shines elsewhere, the warmth of her memory remains.  

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Nicki’s widow Aaron and two of her three children were present at the event and took part in cutting the ribbon on the bridge. 

MCDOT staff will present on the Auth Lane Pedestrian Bridge project at the CEAM September conference in Ocean City, MD, where the award will be given.  

Before bridge construction: 

After completion: