Chesapeake Bay Bridge
| Chesapeake Bay Bridge | |
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Both spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (Gov. William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge) as seen from Sandy Point State Park
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| Coordinates | 38°59′30″N 76°22′20″W / 38.99167°N 76.37222°WCoordinates: 38°59′30″N 76°22′20″W / 38.99167°N 76.37222°W |
| Carries | 5 lanes of   US 50 / US 301(2 eastbound, 2 westbound, 1 reversible) |
| 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) Through arch bridge (Westbound) and Suspension bridge (Both spans). |
| Material | steel, concrete |
| Total length |
22,790 ft (6,946 m) or 4.316 mi (6.946 km) |
| Width | 28 ft (8.5 m) (eastbound) 38 ft (11.6 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) (E-ZPass) |
 Chesapeake Bay Bridge
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22,790 ft (6,946 m)
$4.00 (eastbound) (E-ZPass)
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known 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. The original span opened in 1952 and with a length of 4.3 miles (6.9 km), was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure; the parallel span was added in 1973. The bridge is named the "Gov. William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge" after William Preston Lane, Jr. who, as Governor of Maryland, initiated its construction in the late 1940s after decades of political indecision.
The bridge is part of U.S. Routes 50 and 301, and serves as a vital link in both routes. As part of U.S. Route 50, it connects the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area with Ocean City, Maryland and other coastal tourist destinations. As part of U.S. Route 301, it serves as part of an alternate 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.
Studies exploring the possibility of building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay may have been conducted as early as the 1880s.
The first known proposal came about in 1907 and called for a crossing between Baltimore and Tolchester Beach; other proposals, occurring in the years 1918, 1919, 1926, and 1935, also called for a bridge in this location. In 1927, local businesspeople were authorized to finance the construction of a Baltimore to Tolchester Beach crossing. Plans for the new bridge were made, but construction was canceled following the Stock Market Crash of 1929 with the collapse of the American economy and resulting Great Depression of the 1930s.
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Wikipedia