New designs that officials say will offer better security on the existing Route 29 pedestrian bridge in Columbia are moving forward under a plan by the county's Office of Transportation.

County transportation and public works staff shared renovation plans for the bridge with residents Wednesday at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City.

“We're looking to definitely fix some of the immediate issues that are there in terms of people's comfort level and the aesthetics of it,” said David Cookson, transportation planner for the county. “It doesn't necessarily preclude any future improvements, but we're looking to do something that can be done relatively quickly for a reasonable cost.”

Cookson said the transportation department is in the early stages of reviewing conceptual designs and options with its architects and engineers to improve the existing bridge.

Renovations to both bridge entrances were completed last month after being widened, paved and lighted.

The upgrades come as state and county officials and community groups such as Friends of Bridge Columbia continue to discuss a new transit bridge connecting Columbia's Town Center to the Village of Oakland Mills. The current bridge caters only to foot and bicycle traffic.

Even as that discussion occurs, though, officials and residents say addressing safety concerns for daytime and nighttime use on the existing bridge remain a top priority.

Two security cameras are installed at each side, Cookson said, but the bridge's low lighting and dense tree cover have made the area less appealing to residents. Talks of new security features include better connections between the cameras and the county's police monitoring system.

“Right now, it's a cellphone system, [and] like most cellphone signals, the quality is not great,” Cookson said. “In the interest of having more robust connections, we're looking at running a hard-wire connection, like a fiber-optic cable, to each set of cameras so we know there's a heightened degree of certainty that those cameras are always going to be looking at the bridge.”

Another renovation will replace the brown chain-link fencing and cage that currently span the bridge with colored fencing and cage, Cookson said. Other alternatives would remove chain-link fences and use a spiraling, colored and lighted metal paneling or frame on the walkway.

Total costs are estimated between $375,000 for fencing-only replacement to $1.5 million for space framing, Cookson said.

Some $500,000 from Howard Hughes Corp. and $100,000 from the county will go toward the project.

State Highway Administration spokesman David Buck said that while the county owns the bridge, the state must approve plans before any lighting adjustments are made because the bridge runs over a state-owned road.

“We just want to make sure that the safety of the motorists on 29 is and would be taken into account,” he said.

Some Columbia residents who use the bridge said they've voiced their concerns for some time about security but were pleased with the transportation department's presentation.

Oakland Mills resident Gerry Witte, 72, said he rarely uses the bridge any more, but hopes the spiraled design option comes to fruition.

“I'd like to see it spruced up a little bit, and I would certainly use it more,” Witte said.

“It's a little hard for me to decide how enclosed it's going to feel, but my main concern is safety.”