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An
early highway
Historically,
in addition to being a productive estuary home to thousands
of organisms, the Chesapeake Bay has always been an important
connection to the outside world. Native
Americans and early colonists of the Eastern Shore
did not live in isolation but traveled up and down the
Bay, trading with other communities. Long before there
was a Bay Bridge, people "traveled by boat and the
Chesapeake Bay was the highway."
As
development expanded and populations increased, boat travel
could no longer meet the growing demand. The ferry that
ran between Annapolis and Kent Island was no longer sufficient.
Wagons, trains, and automobiles sought to replace boats,
and the Chesapeake Bay became a "barrier rather than
a bond" between Maryland and its Eastern Shore.
Building
the bridge
Initial
plans to build a bridge were thwarted—first by the
Depression in the 1920's
and second by World War II in the 1940's. The Chesapeake
Bay Bridge finally connected Maryland and the Delmarva
peninsula in 1952. The figurative "highway"
of the Native Americans and colonists was replaced by
a literal one. The
second span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, whose three
lanes carry westbound traffic, opened in 1973.
Did
you know there were also plans for bridges in two other
locations_ There was a plan to build a "Northern
Bay Bridge" from Miller Island in Baltimore County
to Tolchester Beach in Kent County, and a "Southern
Bay Bridge" from Lusby in Calvert County to Taylors
Island in Dorchester County. Several factors, however,
made the present bridge location the easiest and most
desirable, such as the needs to access the lower Eastern
Shore and to avoid hazardous navigation areas.
Using
the Bridge
| Bay
Bridge Statistics: |
|
Traffic
capacity:
|
1,500 vehicles per lane, per hour
|
| Estimated
traffic: |
1952:
|
1.1
million vehicles each year |
1961:
|
1.5
million vehicles each year |
1996:
|
20.5 million vehicles each year |
| It
is estimated that 55,000 vehicles cross the bridge
daily. |
The
table above shows that the number of people using the
bridge has increased drastically since an initial 1.1
million vehicles in the first year following the opening
of the bridge in 1952. Each year, the Bay Bridge carries
over 20 million people to and from Maryland's Eastern
Shore. The increased population and traffic in this area
ultimately affects the environmental quality of the Chesapeake
Bay, but the maintenance of the Bridge itself also creates
another, very direct, environmental effect on the Bay.
The eastbound span, the older of the two, is getting a
new coat of paint, which includes sandblasting off all
the old paint and rust. This will not be an easy job because,
according to current environmental regulations, workers
have to take elaborate measures to catch and dispose of
all the material that is removed from the bridge, so nothing
falls into the Bay.
Walking
the Bridge
The
annual Bay Bridge Walk allows thousands of people to get
a unique view of the Chesapeake Bay in all its glory.
Usually the first Sunday in May, anyone can walk the span
of the bridge. It's a nice way to appreciate the Bay and
remember why the bridge is there.
References
and further reading
Information
about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
From this site you can also access the Maryland Transportation
Authority's article entitled "The William Preston
Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge" for more information and
history.
Bay
Bridge Fast Facts
Fast
facts and good pictures of the Bay Bridge.
Related
Watershed Radio programs:
- Forgotten
Watershed: About the effects of a growing population
on the quality of the Chesapeake Bay. Find out how you
can minimize urban runoff and help the Bay.
- Telecommuting:
Avoid traffic and help the environment by staying home
one or more days a week.
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