Bloomington Wall

One of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state of Maryland is the part of Rte. 135 that boasts a perilous 9% downgrade, snaking its way down Backbone Mountain toward potentially deadly endings for inattentive truckers at an infamous dead man’s curve.

At the bottom of this notorious downhill drive, dubbed “Cemetery Hill” by locals, is a cracked retaining wall upon which crosses have been painted to honor each of the poor unfortunate souls who have died after crashing into the wall. The retaining wall, built in 1956 to prevent downslope movement, claimed five lives by 1965.

A group of concerned citizens petitioned the court to take steps to prevent further deaths, and a 1967 study resulted in a reduced speed limit for trucks to 10mph down the entire hill, the introduction of three stops for truckers to check their brakes, flashing lights near the base of the mountain, and signage instructing truckers to descend in the lowest gear.

In 1997, additional signage was installed on nearby I-68, Rte. 40, and Rte. 219 to divert eastbound truckers to Rte. 36 as a safer alternative to approach the towns of Luke and Westport.

Signage on the mountain was improved between 1998 and 2008, with 25 large and colorful signs replacing the weather worn wooden signs that had dotted the path previously. Additionally, a warning system was installed that detects the length and speed of a truck as it drives under overhead sensors and activates flashing lights to warn truckers that are exceeding the safe speed to divert to the runaway truck ramp. One driver who was forced to use the ramp after a mechanical failure was able to prevent tragedy in 2008.

The first fatality occurred in 1960 when a tanker carrying hydrochloric acid struck the wall, killing the driver. Today, there are 27 white crosses on the wall, and the  faded remnants of a blue cross placed by the mother of a man who ended his life by intentionally driving his car into the wall at high speed.

The crosses are maintained by Mike Cleveland and Tom Clayton, members of the Westernport Heritage Society. Every two years, on Memorial Day, they repaint the crosses that represent crash victims in the hope that the most recent cross will be the last.