William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge
| Chesapeake Bay Bridge | |
|---|---|
Both spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (Gov. William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge) as seen from Sandy Point State Park
|
|
| 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 3012 eastbound, 2 westbound, 2 reversible; either span can support 2-way traffic if the other span is completely closed)(Usually eastbound 2-way traffic is at night and westbound 2-way traffic is during the day) |
| 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", "Maryland Bay Bridge","America's Scariest Bridge" |
| Maintained by | Maryland Transportation Authority, State of Maryland |
| ID number | AAZ050 |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever (eastbound), through arch (westbound), and suspension bridges (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 (2-axle, cash or E-ZPass) |
 Chesapeake Bay Bridge
|
|
22,790 ft (6,946 m)
$4.00 (2-axle, cash or E-ZPass)
$2.50 (2-axle, Maryland E-Z Pass)
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 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.
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.
Studies exploring the possibility of building a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay may have been conducted as early as the 1880s.
...
Wikipedia