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The 'Chesapeake Bay Bridge', also known simply as the 'Bay Bridge', is a major bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland, which spans the Chesapeake Bay and connects the state's Eastern and Western Shore regions. Officially, the bridge is named the 'William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge' after William Preston Lane, Jr. who, as governor of Maryland, implemented its construction.
The bridge, which consists of two parallel spans, is part of U.S. Routes 50 and 301 making it an important traffic artery in Maryland. As part of U.S. Route 50, the bridge connects the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area with Ocean City, Maryland as well as other coastal areas, including the ocean resorts in Delaware, Assateague Island, and Chincoteague, Virginia. As part of U.S. Route 301, the bridge serves as part of an alternate route for Interstate 95 travelers between northern Delaware and the Washington, D.C. area.

Contents

History

Specifications and operations

Structural details

Traffic control

Tolls and fees

Bay Bridge Walk

Impact

Notable incidents

See also

External links

History

As early as the 1880s studies explored the possibility of building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay [1] and the first real proposal to build such a bridge came about in 1907. The 1907 proposal, along with other later proposals called for a crossing between Baltimore and Tolchester Beach. A bridge was almost built in this location in 1927 and was to be privately financed by local businessmen, however, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 brought an end to those plans. Earlier, in 1919 the first regularly scheduled ferry service across the bay began. The Claiborne-Annapolis Ferry Company ran ferries between Annapolis and Claiborne, a community near St. Michaels. In July of 1930, the company added a new ferry route, one running from Annapolis to Matapeake, a significantly shorter distance. The ferries were taken over by the State Roads Commission in 1941, and two years later the Commission moved the western terminus of the Annapolis-Matapeake ferry to Sandy Point, shortening the trip.
The first proposal for a bridge in the current location came in 1938 and was approved, however, construction was delayed by World War II. In 1947, with the war over, Maryland Governor William Preston Lane Jr. helped push for construction of the bridge to proceed. The groundbreaking for the bridge was in 1949, it was completed in 1952, and was dedicated to Governor Lane on November 9, 1967.
Also in 1967, due to increasing traffic volumes, the Maryland General Assembly authorized three possible new crossings, all suggested as possible new crossings during the 1964 Chesapeake Bay crossing study. These included one near Baltimore, one in Southern Maryland, and an additional span to be added to the existing bridge; ultimately, the third option was chosen. Construction of the new span began in 1969 to the north of the original span, and it was completed and dedicated to William Preston Lane Jr. on June 28, 1973.
In 2005, a task force met to again explore the possibillity of building a new Chesapeake Bay crossing. In late 2006, the initial study was found to be inconclusive, and members of the task force requested additional time to continue the study.

Specifications and operations

With lengths of 4.33 and 4.35 miles [2] (6.97 and 7.00 km), the two spans of the bridge form the longest fixed water crossing in Maryland and are also among the world's longest over-water structures.
The western terminus of the bridge is in Sandy Point State Park, located northeast of Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, and its eastern terminus is in Stevensville on Kent Island in Queen Anne's County.

Structural details

The spans are structurally similar, save for the number of lanes on each (two on the original span and three on the newer span) and differences owing to the design standards for the periods in which they were built. Each span features:

★ Two main spans over the bay's two shipping channels:

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★ A 3200 foot (980 m) suspension span over the western channel with a maximum clearance of 186 feet (56.7 m) — high enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels and tall ships.

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★ A through-truss cantilever span over the eastern channel with a maximum clearance of 58 feet (18 m).

★ Deck truss and steel girder spans flanking the main spans.

★ Concrete beam spans on the portions closest to the shores.
The bridge has a curve near its western terminus, which is required so that its main spans cross the bay's shipping channels at 90 degrees per United States Army Corps of Engineers requirements.[3]

Traffic control

Traffic patterns on the bridge's five lanes can be adjusted via its lane control system, which consists of overhead lane control signals on both spans and approaches. Typically, the two lanes on the south span are configured for vehicles traveling east on eastbound U.S. 50/northbound U.S. 301, while the three lanes on the north span are configured for vehicles traveling west on westbound U.S. 50/southbound U.S. 301; the spans are therefore referred to as the "eastbound span" and "westbound span", respectively. However, this pattern is adjusted during incidents or peak travel times: for instance, on the outset of weekends when there is a high volume of beach-bound traffic, one lane on the westbound span is configured for eastbound traffic.
Beginning in 2006, pink markers were placed along the eastbound bridge to mark out the suggested following distance, similar to a system used on the Autobahn. The markers are a part of the MdTA's new "Pace Your Space" campaign to prevent vehicle collisions and traffic congestion due to tailgating on the bridge. [4]

Tolls and fees

Operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA), the bridge has a one-way (eastbound) toll, which is (as of May 2007) $2.50 for two-axle vehicles paying with cash or E-ZPass, and $1.00 for vehicles using an E-ZPass that is involved in the Bay Bridge commuter program. Books of twelve toll passes (each good for one eastbound trip across the bridge) can also be purchased for $25.00, which is approximately $2.08 per pass. Vehicles with more than two axles pay $2.50 for the first two axles, plus an extra $2.50 for each additional one. [5]
The MdTA contracts with private companies to provide transportation across the bridge for nervous drivers and cyclists for fees of $25 and $35, respectively.[6]

Bay Bridge Walk

While there are no pedestrian facilities on the bridge, the Bay Bridge Walk affords an opportunity to cross the bridge on foot. Participants walk west on the eastbound span, which is closed to vehicles for the duration of the event, while the westbound span is configured for two-way vehicular traffic.
The event, held on the first Sunday in May, was held every year from 1975–2001. It was canceled in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and again in 2003 due to inclement weather and increased homeland security costs. While it was held in 2004, it was canceled again in 2005 while the MdTA considered decreasing its annual frequency, citing traffic, fiscal, manpower, and security concerns. Nevertheless, the walk was held in 2006 and was to have been held in 2007 before being canceled due to high winds.

Impact

Since its construction, the bridge has made significant impacts on both sides of the bay, among them has been the growth of Eastern Shore communities. When the bridge was first built in 1952, and again when the second span was added in 1973, the Eastern Shore was given easier access to Baltimore and Washington, causing areas in southern Queen Anne's County to develop as bedroom communities. This extension of the Baltimore-Washington suburbs has led Queen Anne's County to be listed as part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The bridge has also given easier access to Ocean City from the Western Shore, which has caused Ocean City to grow from a small town to one that is said to become the second largest city in Maryland during the summer. [7]
In 1948, the impending completion of the bridge gave rise to an extension of U.S. Route 50 to Ocean City. The route was extended along a new highway across Kent Island, as well as parts of Maryland Route 404 and a large portion of U.S. Route 213 cutting both routes back. At the time the bridge was built, US 50 on the Western Shore ran along present-day Maryland Route 450, with the John Hanson Highway being completed soon after. The John Hanson Highway provided a freeway connection from Washington almost all the way to the bridge, bypassing downtown Annapolis. As the Eastern Shore, particularly Ocean City, grew, U.S. 50 continued to be upgraded. These upgrades included the aforementioned 1973 completion of the second Bay Bridge span and the extension of the U.S. 50 freeway eastward to the U.S. 50/301 split in Queenstown. Further down the shore, the road has been upgraded and realigned over the years from its original 2-lane roadway to a 4-lane divided highway, with the last such section being in Vienna, which was upgraded in 1991 [8]. In 2003 another freeway portion of US 50 was completed around Salisbury, as part of the Salisbury Bypass.
As of 2007, there are plans to extend the freeway portion of U.S. 50 east of the bridge, which currently ends at the U.S. 301 split, to Maryland Route 404 outside of Wye Mills. There are also plans to replace the aging Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge into Ocean City [9]. Some have even proposed that an additional bridge, or other type of crossing, be established across the Chesapeake Bay, citing that the impacts the current bridge has had have led it to become a major bottleneck.

Notable incidents

★ In September 2003, the bridge was temporarily and completely closed for the first time in its history during Hurricane Isabel, out of the fear that wind speeds would exceed those that could be withstood by the bridge. Other bridges in Maryland, even smaller bridges such as the nearby Kent Narrows Bridge, were also closed during the storm.

★ On May 10, 2007 around 4:15 p.m. local time (2015 UTC), an accident occurred on the westbound span, involving a car, a van, a tanker carrying animal fat, two pickup trucks, a rollback tow truck, and an SUV pulling a trailer. The SUV was towing the trailer which became separated, causing a chain-reaction crash that killed at least three people and injuring 4 others and 1 person sustaining life-threatening injuries. As the accident closed all westbound lanes, traffic had to be detoured through Delaware via U.S. Route 301 and Interstate 95- an extra 150 miles (240 km). The bridge was re-opened 11:30 p.m. local time (0330 UTC), May 10, 2007 after engineers stated the guard rails suffered minor damages, but the structure was sound. The accident is still being investigated.[10]

See also

★ List of bridges by length

★ U.S. Route 50 in Maryland

★ U.S. Route 301 in Maryland

★ Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge

★ Kent Narrows Bridge

External links

★ MdTA Chesapeake Bay Bridge Website

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★ Bay Bridge Page at MdTA website

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★ MdTA Fact Sheet (pdf)

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★ Bay Bridge Transportation Needs Report (pdf)

★ Roads to the Future website

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★ History

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★ Bridge Walk

★ Page at dcroads.net

★ BayDreaming.com website - Bay Bridge Information, tolls, and safety

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