Landmark Bridge At Md. Battlefield Reopens

SHARPSBURG, Md. (AP) -- The National Park Service says a stone bridge that played a key role in the Civil War Battle of Antietam near Sharpsburg has reopened to pedestrians after a two-month closure.

Battlefield Superintendent Susan Trail said Monday that a chain-link fence running down the center of Burnside Bridge will keep people away from the damaged wall on the upstream side. The bridge was closed in January after pieces fell into Antietam Creek.

Trail says repairs and an engineering assessment will begin in April. She says she hopes the bridge can be fully reopened this summer.

The triple-arch bridge is popular with photographers. During the battle on Sept. 17, 1862, a small force of Confederates held off Union forces commanded by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside for several hours at the bridge.