Chesapeake Bay Bridge
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (also known locally as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the urban Western Shore, between Stevensville and the capital city of Annapolis. The original span, opened in 1952 and with a length of 4 miles (6.4 km), was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure. The parallel span was added in 1973. The bridge is officially named the Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge after William Preston Lane Jr. who, as the 52nd Governor of Maryland, initiated its construction in the late 1940s finally after decades of political indecision and public controversy.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge | |
|---|---|
Both spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as seen from Sandy Point State Park, 2011 | |
| Coordinates | 38°59′30″N 76°22′20″W |
| Carries | 5 lanes of US 50 / US 301 |
| Crosses | Chesapeake Bay |
| Locale | Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's Counties, Maryland |
| Official name | Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge |
| Other name(s) | "Bay Bridge" |
| Maintained by | Maryland Transportation Authority, State of Maryland |
| ID number | AAZ050 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge (eastbound), Continuous truss bridge (westbound), and Suspension bridges (both spans) |
| Material | Steel, concrete |
| Total length | 21,273 ft (6,484.0 m) (eastbound) 21,047 ft (6,415.1 m) (westbound) |
| Width | 28 ft (8.5 m) (eastbound) 38 ft (11.6 m) (westbound) |
| Height | 354 ft (107.9 m) (eastbound) 379 ft (115.5 m) (westbound) |
| Longest span | 1,600 ft (488 m) |
| Clearance below | 186 ft (56.7 m) |
| History | |
| Opened | July 30, 1952 (eastbound) June 28, 1973 (westbound) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 61,000 |
| Toll | $4.00 (eastbound only) |
| Location | |
The bridge is part of U.S. Route 50 (US 50) and US 301, and serves as a vital link in both routes. As part of cross-country US 50, it connects the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area with Ocean City, Maryland, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, and other coastal tourist resort destinations. As part of US 301, it serves as part of an alternative route for Interstate 95 travelers, between northern Delaware and the Washington, D.C., area. Because of this linkage, the bridge is busy and has become known as a point of traffic congestion, particularly during peak hours and summer months.
The bridge's role in transportation was filled by ferries prior to the first span's construction. An annual 10K run across the bridge has been organized on and off since 1975. The bridge's economic impact on the areas it connects has been significant, with both Queen Anne's County and Ocean City expanding significantly since the bridge's construction. Future expansion of the bridge has been discussed since 2004, with a task force being formed to investigate the possibility of building a third span.
Because of similar names, it is often confused with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel, a bridge–tunnel linking the Eastern Shore of Virginia with the Hampton Roads region and the rest of Virginia.