Chesapeake Bay Bridge
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge | |
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| Official name | William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge |
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| Carries | 5 lanes of US 50/US 301, 2 eastbound, 2 westbound, 1 reversible |
| Crosses | Chesapeake Bay |
| Locale | Anne Arundel County, Maryland and Queen Anne's County, Maryland |
| Maintained by | Maryland Transportation Authority |
| Design | steel suspension bridge |
| Longest span | 1,600 feet (487.68 meters) |
| Total length | 22,790 feet or 4.9136 miles (6,946.39 meters) |
| Width | 28 feet (8.53 meters) (eastbound) 11.58 meters (38 feet) (westbound) |
| Clearance below | 186 feet (56.69 meters) |
| AADT | 61,000 |
| Opening date | July 30, 1952 (eastbound) June 28, 1973 (westbound) |
| Toll | $2.50 (eastbound) (E-ZPass) |
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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 is actually two bridges (often referred to as a single bridge), one built in 1952 and the second built in 1973, in order to relieve traffic congestion on the 1952 span. The bridges carry a total of five lanes, which can be reversed (see reversible lane) to address the traffic needs of either direction. Both bridges are part of U.S. Routes 50 and 301, making them 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 and the ocean resorts in Delaware, and 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.
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[edit] Specifications and operations
With lengths of 4.33 and 4.35 miles [1] (6.97 and 7.00 km), the bridges are the longest fixed water crossing in Maryland and are also among the world's longest and most-scenic over-water structures. The original span has two lanes that normally carry eastbound traffic, while the second span has three lanes that normally carry westbound traffic. The western terminus of the bridge is in Sandy Point State Park, located northeast of the city of Annapolis in Anne Arundel County, and its eastern terminus is in Stevensville on Kent Island in Queen Anne's County.
The eastbound span (which originally carried two-way traffic) is of a compound design. The portions nearest the shores consist of some 130 pier-to-pier spans. The center suspension span is 3200 feet in length with a maximum clearance of 186 feet, high enough to accommodate ocean-going vessels and tall ships. To the west, the main suspension span is flanked by thirteen deck truss spans 300 to 500 feet each. To the east, there is a through cantilever span with a 58-foot clearance over the second shipping channel, and flanking deck truss spans on either side of the cantilever. Increased traffic led to the construction of a parallel span that opened in 1973 immediately to the north of the original span. This bridge has three lanes that normally carry westbound traffic.
Operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA), the bridge has a one-way (eastbound) toll, which is (as of November, 2006) $2.50 for passenger vehicles using cash, and $1.00 for vehicles using an E-ZPass that is involved in the Bay Bridge commuter program. Non-commuter E-ZPass users pay the same rate as cash at the toll plaza. Toll pass tickets can also be purchased for $25.00 for twelve passes, which is approximately $2.08 per pass. Each pass is good for one trip across the bridge.
A lane control system, consisting of overhead lane-use signals on the approaches and both spans, is used during peak travel times and incidents to close lanes or reverse traffic flow. For instance, on the outset of weekends during the summer, one lane on the north span is typically reversed to accommodate the heavy volume of eastbound beach traffic.
As prohibiting bicycles may create difficulties, a private, professional service assists cyclists over the Chesapeake Bay for a fee.
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. [2]
[edit] Bay Bridge Walk
While there are no pedestrian facilities on the bridge, the Bay Bridge Walk, originally held on the first Sunday of every May from 1975 until 2001 and subsequently only in selected years, affords an opportunity to cross the bridge on foot. For the walk, the south span is closed for pedestrians and the north span switched to two-way traffic.
The walk was canceled in 2002 in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and again the following year due to inclement weather and increased homeland security costs. The walk was held in 2004, but the cost of running the event proved to be too high and it was again canceled in 2005, and its future left uncertain, while the MdTA considered decreasing its annual frequency, citing traffic, fiscal, manpower, and security concerns. However, shortly thereafter, the MdTA announced that the 2006 walk would take place after all.
In 2007, the walk will be held on Sunday, May 6. [3]
[edit] History
As early as the 1880s studies explored the possibility of building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay [4] 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. The ferry service was later replaced with two services, one running from Annapolis to Matapeake on Kent Island, and the other connecting Claiborne to Romancoke, also on Kent Island. The ferries were later taken over by the State Roads Commission, and the western terminus of the Annapolis-Matapeake ferry was moved 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 3 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, the third option was chosen. Construction of the new span began in 1969, and it was completed and dedicated to William Preston Lane Jr. on June 28, 1973.
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.
In 2005, a task force met to again explore the possibillity of building a new Chesapeake Bay crossing. (See: 2005 Chesapeake Bay crossing study.)
[edit] 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 bridge was built 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 bridges have 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. [5]
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 [6]. In 2003 another freeway portion of US 50 was completed around Salisbury, and is known as the Salisbury Bypass.
As of 2007, there are plans to extend the freeway portion east of the Bay Bridge, to Maryland Route 404 outside of Wye Mills. In addition there are also plans to replace the aging Harry Kelley Memorial Bridge into Ocean City [7]. Some have also proposed that an additional bridge be built across the Chesapeake Bay, citing that the impacts the current bridge has had have led it to become a major bottleneck.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- MdTA Chesapeake Bay Bridge Website
- Roads to the Future website
- Page at dcroads.net
- BayDreaming.com website - Bay Bridge Information, tolls, and safety
| Maryland Transportation Authority facilities | |
|---|---|
| Bridges | Chesapeake Bay | Hatem (Susquehanna) | Key (Outer Harbor) | Nice (Potomac) | Tydings |
| Tunnels | Baltimore Harbor | Fort McHenry |
| Highways | Harbor Tunnel Thruway | JFK Memorial Highway | I-95 in Baltimore | I-395 |
| Bridges of the Chesapeake Bay | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Upstream Amtrak Susquehanna River Bridge |
Chesapeake Bay Bridge  |
Downstream Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel  |
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