| A Few Tidbits about The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (In no Particular Order!) |
| Eastbound Span - November 1949 Westbound Span - May 1969 |
Construction Start Dates |
| Eastbound Span - July 30, 1952 Westbound Span - June 28, 1973 |
Opening Dates |
| Eastbound Span - $45 million Westbound Span - $148 million |
Building Costs |
| Eastbound Span - 4.35 miles Westbound Span - 4.33 miles |
Shore to Shore Length |
| Eastbound Towers - 354 feet Westbound Towers - 379 feet |
Suspension Bridge Tower Height |
| Eastbound - 2 lanes Westbound - 3 lanes |
Span Width |
| 55,000 vehicles On 5 lanes |
Daily Capacity |
| Horizontal - 1,500 feet Vertical - 186 feet |
Maximum Clearance Under Bridge11 |
| 1952 - about 1 million 1998 - over 22 million |
Estimated Traffic |
| 2 axles - $2.50 Each additional axle - $2.50 |
Toll (Only Eastbound) |
| Source: The Maryland Transportation Authority - except where noted |
| And That's Not All ... | ||
| The Bridge wasn't named after William Preston Lane, Jr. until his death in 1967. As the governor of Maryland from 1947 to 1951, Mr. Lane was one of the leading proponents of the Bridge.12 |
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| Both spans are suspension bridges over the main shipping channel and cantilever type bridges over the Eastern Channel.13 | ||
| By the one decade mark, traffic on the first span had outgrown it's capacity. During the next decade, the Bridge would host some incredible traffic jams during the peak summer months. Relief didn't come until 1973, when the second span gave travelers three more lanes. | ||
| Additional relief came in April of 1989, when the MdTA stopped collecting tolls in both directions. The tollbooths over the westbound lanes were removed and the eastbound toll was simply doubled. | ||
| Starting in the late 1990's, the The Bay Game became available from the toll collectors upon request. This little booklet is a great way to teach kids about the wealth of natural resources on the Bay and Eastern Shore and is invaluable for entertaining restless backseat passengers. Even the really little ones will enjoy the sticker pages. | ||
| Since 1974, The Annual Bay Bridge Walk has been held the first Sunday in May. Pedestrians may cross the bay on the eastbound span and the State provides buses for the return trip.14 | ||
| The Baltimore company of J. E. Greiner, Inc. designed both Bay Bridge spans.15 | ||
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| After the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in 1940, wind tunnel testing for bridges became mandatory! |  |
View Film One16 View Film Two |
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