Dozens of dog walkers couldn't cross that bridge when they came to it yesterday.

The footbridge at Robert E. Lee Park has been closed, shutting off access to Baltimore's most popular dog-walking area. As Brent Jones reports in today's Sun, an independent contractor recently found problems during a structural assessment of the bridge, leading city officials to shut it down.

(The 450-acre park is actually in Baltimore County, but is owned by the city.)

Hundreds of people -- most pulled by their dogs -- cross the bridge each weekend to give their dogs an unauthorized off-leash run in the wooded park.

The city opted to close the bridge after a county-hired company reported the structural deficiencies.

"Now where the discussions will move to is how we get that bridge rebuilt as quickly as possible," County spokesman Donald I. Mohler said. "I think everybody realizes that we need to get that bridge working."

There is no estimate on how much it will cost to fix the bridge -- worn concreted on the underside of deck slabs is mentioned as one of the problems -- and it is not clear which government will pay for it, city or county, according to Mohler.

Kia McCleod, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Recreation and Parks, said there is no timetable for when the bridge will reopen. She also said that all other areas of the park will remain accessible.

The park can still be entered from Falls Road, though that's miles from the main dog-walking area.

If all this makes you want to scream, we have just the place for you.

By clicking on the Dogs of Our Lives feature (in the shaded rail to the your right), you can find our forum for Robert E. Lee and all other dog-frequented parks. For a direct link the the Robert E. Lee forum, click here.

(Sun Photo by Lloyd Fox)