Turning Demolition into Conservation: Maryland’s Nice Middleton Bridge Project

By Brook Brookshire, Contributing Author

Replacing the aging Gov. Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge in Newburg, Md. created a challenge that goes to the heart of modern construction philosophy: How do you responsibly handle the end of one structure's life while building the foundation for the next generation?

Spanning the Potomac River from Maryland to Virginia, the bridge had served faithfully since 1940. But time and traffic had taken their toll. Rather than tearing down and discarding this original structure, the Skanska, Corman, McLean Joint Venture, which the Maryland Department of Transportation had hired for the replacement project, decided to reuse whenever possible.

While recycling construction materials is woven into our operational DNA, the Nice/Middleton Bridge project served as a proving ground for model sustainable demolition practices that advance industry standards.

The $462 million two-phase bridge project required the team to think holistically about infrastructure renewal. Between 2020 and 2022, a new 1.7-mile span was constructed to carry traffic for decades to come, incorporating modern safety features and increased capacity. 

The new bridge features four lanes compared to the original two, along with shoulders and an intelligent transportation system to manage lane use.

From 2022 to 2024, the project’s second phase brought a new round of complex challenges: how to carefully dismantle the old bridge in a way that maximized material recovery while minimizing environmental impact. This phase required the team—with the expertise of two subcontractors, Genesis Structures and United Demolition—to essentially reverse engineer the old structure. To do this, they needed to understand how it was built and how it could be most effectively and safely deconstructed and its materials reused.

Engineering Precision in Demolition

The numbers tell part of the story: 10,265 tons of recycled steel—roughly equivalent to what's needed for 500 mid-size cars—and 16,030 tons of concrete, approximately the weight of 8,000 vehicles. Behind these figures lies a carefully orchestrated demolition process that required engineering precision.

Traditional demolition approaches focus primarily on speed and short-term cost efficiency at the expense of material recovery. Our approach inverted this priority structure and treated the existing bridge as a valuable resource repository. This shift in perspective required extensive planning, with engineers conducting detailed structural analyses to identify optimal demolition sequences that would preserve material integrity.

The concrete roadway deck came down first, with workers methodically cutting it into 8- by 10-foot sections before removal. Each cut was calculated using advanced modeling software to determine optimal sizes with transportation logistics. 

Each lift was planned to maximize safety and integrity for future use, with cranes used to lower and position the concrete slabs onto barges in ways that would minimize stress on the sections during removal. 

This systematic approach ensured that the pieces of the original roadway maintained their value for their next application, that of bolstering existing artificial fish reefs. This also meant that we avoided the crushing and processing that typically render demolished concrete suitable for low-grade fill material or the landfill. 

The original bridge’s steel superstructure required a different approach. Strategic explosive charges were employed to safely drop giant sections into the river, where specialized teams collected them via barge.

For the bridge’s massive support piers, the team used sub-aquatic explosives to demolish five of the 10 original structures. The remaining five were mechanically demolished. 

One dismantled pier, which was in 80 feet of water, required diving teams and underwater cutting equipment. The technical complexity of underwater demolition cannot be overstated, particularly when every operation must be executed with personnel safety and environmental protection as the primary concerns.

Environmental Stewardship

The environmental monitoring program that was implemented exceeded regulatory requirements, with real-time water quality monitoring, fish population surveys and noise level measurements conducted throughout the demolition process, including to protect local fish species during the spawning seasons. 

This data not only ensured compliance with best practices but also provided valuable insights for future projects involving sensitive aquatic environments.

The concrete's second life is a proud achievement for the team. Instead of ending up in a landfill, the massive slabs were placed to enhance existing artificial reefs in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay. 

Five barge loads of concrete material were placed at the Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s Point No Point Fish Reef near the mouth of the Potomac River in the Chesapeake Bay. An additional seven barge loads were placed at the Potomac River Fisheries Commission’s Hog Island Reef, on the Potomac River near the mouth of the Yeocomico River in Virginia.  

The 12-barge loads of material culminated in over 16,000 tons of excellent fish reef material—the concrete sections now shelter and support striped bass, bluefish, oysters and countless other species. 

Navigating Complex Regulatory Waters

One of the project's most significant challenges wasn't technical, but regulatory. Securing permits for blasting in and over water bodies is complex, and success required unprecedented coordination between the Joint Venture, the Maryland Transportation Authority and multiple local, state and federal agencies involved in the permitting process. 

The process included a second federal review, a Supplement Biological Assessment that culminated with a Biological Opinion from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries. This review confirmed that all prudent measures were being utilized to avoid and minimize impacts on two endangered fish species in the Chesapeake Bay region: the Atlantic sturgeon and the shortnose sturgeon.  

Virginia Commonwealth University sturgeon experts expanded their fish tagging and telemetry monitoring to include the bridge area in an effort to make sure that no sturgeon were in the area at the time of the blasting. This was done using tracking devices and real-time monitoring.  

This also involved the review and approval of major modification to permits and authorizations involving a cadre of federal and state environmental agencies. Each permit modification required detailed environmental impact assessments, stakeholder consultations and technical reviews that could potentially delay the entire project.

The collaborative approach with government agencies proved crucial, establishing regular communication channels and proactive problem-solving protocols that addressed concerns before they became obstacles. This resulted in no project delays and completion three months ahead of schedule—a remarkable achievement given the complexity of the project.

This success demonstrates that environmental protection and project efficiency aren't competing priorities—they're complementary objectives that, like all parts of a construction job well done, require early coordination and sustained partnership.

Beyond Material Recovery

Working with specialized subcontractors, the team completed comprehensive river bottom restoration work and stream restoration at Gilbert Run, in the watershed just northeast of the project area, addressing environmental impacts to the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area. These efforts included restoring natural flow patterns and the floodplain shelf and establishing native vegetation along streambank areas.

The project’s partnership with the Potomac River Fisheries Commission (PRFC) resulted in significant oyster reef enhancement, including an initial 88 acres of improvement and deployment of 42,000 bushels of oyster seed. These oysters serve as natural water filters, with each adult oyster capable of filtering up to 50 gallons of water daily, improving water quality throughout the region while supporting commercial and recreational fishing industries.  

Skanska continued to support PRFC with additional funding for four additional acres of oyster enhancement during the bridge demolition phase in conjunction with the arrangement to utilize concrete material from large bridge pier demolition to fill deep pre-existing scour holes and promote long term riverbed restoration. This was a win-win for the benthic species, the tiny organisms of the lower Potomac River.

The economic impact of these environmental improvements extends beyond the project area, supporting local fishing communities and enhancing property values along restored waterfront areas. The project demonstrates how infrastructure investment can generate multiple returns on investment through environmental restoration.

Lessons for the Future

The Nice/Middleton Bridge demolition proves that infrastructure renewal can simultaneously serve economic, environmental and community interests. By viewing demolished materials as resources awaiting new applications, we can reduce environmental impacts while creating lasting ecological benefits that extend far beyond the original project scope.

This project's success required three critical elements: early environmental planning integrated into project design from the conceptual stage, sustained collaboration with regulatory agencies and environmental partners throughout all project phases, and unwavering commitment to innovative approaches that prioritize long-term benefits over short-term cost savings.

As we work to renew America's aging infrastructure, the Nice/Middleton Bridge model offers a practical roadmap for responsible development. Every aging bridge, highway, and building represents not just a demolition challenge but an opportunity for environmental enhancement and resource conservation. 

This is infrastructure thinking for the 21st century: holistic, sustainable and committed to leaving every project site better than we found it. The future of construction lies not just in building new structures, but in creating regenerative systems that enhance human communities and natural environments for decades to come.

Brook Brookshire is a senior vice president of operations at Skanska USA Civil.