On This Day

Wednesday 30th July 1952

68 years ago

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the world’s largest continuous over-water steel structure, opened, linking Maryland’s eastern and western shores of the bay. Spanning 4.35 miles, the bridge has a vertical clearance of 186 feet to accommodate shipping traffic. 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. In 1973 another span of the bridge opens to ease increasing traffic. More than 23 million cars and trucks cross the bridge each year. 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. In 2006, pink markers were placed along the eastbound span to mark out the suggested following distance, similar to systems used in Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The markers are a part of the MDTA's "Pace Your Space" campaign to prevent vehicle collisions and traffic congestion due to tailgating on the bridge. In April 2013, changes were made to increase safety on the westbound span during two way operations: signs, pavement markings, and rumble strips were modified, and a buffer zone between the left and center lanes was created. As a result, motorists can no longer switch between the left and center lanes, whether or not two-way operations are in effect