Arbutus Bridge Gets Makeover

In case you haven't noticed, there's something slightly different about the railroad bridge over Sulphur Spring Road—the gateway to downtown Arbutus.

Thanks to the prodding of the Halethorpe Improvement Association, a couple of weeks ago Amtrak sent a crew to paint over graffiti on the bridge, eliminating one of the last remaining defaced spots in the area, according to the group's president, Mike McAuliffe.

What was once a chaotic canvas of aerosolized expression is an unblemished expanse of white paint.

"It isn't Michelangelo, but it's better than graffiti," McAuliffe says.

HIA and other groups had been after Amtrak to do something about the unsightly bridge for a long time.

At the last April, McAuliffe seized the opportunity to get the ear of elected officials. An aide to Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD) said she would look into it.

During the first week of July, it was done.

Recently, members of HIA went on patrol in the community to scrub out and paint over graffiti on bridges and utility boxes. The Sulphur Spring railroad bridge was the last major graffiti target, McAuliffe says.

Next up on his wish list: lights beneath the bridge, and netting to prevent pigeons from roosting underneath.