The History Page of The Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Some History of
The Chesapeake and it's Bay Bridge

In colonial times, the Chesapeake Bay was the lifeline of communication and transportation in the region. It brought goods to market, increased transportation speed and provided a cohesiveness among surrounding communities not shared by any other colony.¹ Certainly many private crafts carried passengers across the Bay and records from the mid 1800's indicate that a ferry ran regularly between Annapolis and Kent Island.² However as transportation technology improved, with railroads and later autos, trucks and better roads, the Bay changed from a master connector to a bothersome barrier and citizens began to talk about alternatives.

~ The Ferries ~
	In March of 1924, a report was submitted to the governor of Maryland by the Public Service Commision in conjunction with the State Roads Commision, proposing a State owned ferry.³ The report documented the various ferry services operating at the time, several of which recieved State subsidy, but none of which were owned by the State outright. There was one between Annapolis and Claiborne, it was a long two hour ride each way, another ran between Bay Shore and Rock Hall, which is some 10 miles north of the western end of the Bay Bridge. At some point, only briefly, there had been a ferry running between Baltimore and Love Point, the northern most tip of Kent Island.	The report also outlined the drawbacks of the private ferry services. Several of the companies had gone bankrupt. There had never been a company who operated enough boats to make the wait reasonable. But biggest drawback was the cost; $2.50 to $5.00 to cross with your car! Today it costs $2.50 to cross the bay and back, imagine how that felt in 1924! Since the turn of the Century, Baltimore businessmen had watched their Eastern Shore trade, which had previously come by boat, travel instead to Wilmington or Philidelphia by train and highway. So, choosing the shortest possible distance for a route, it was proposed that the State ferry run from Sandy Point on the west, to Stevensville on Kent Island, exactly where the bridge now stands.

Talking About a Bridge

Between 1908 and 1949, countless groups, mostly comprised of Baltimore businessmen, compiled countless proposals for various types of bridges of various alignments. Among the ideas was a double-deck bridge for both train and trolley.⁴ Perhaps the best developed plan belonged to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Company. This group invested much time and money into their plans to build a six mile bridge between Miller's Island and Tolchester.⁵ They had already purchased real estate, done their engineering studies, obtained permits and would probably have built a bridge, except for their unfortunate timing of trying to raise capital during the depression. It is perhaps a blessing for Washingtonians that this bridge wasn't built, as Miller's Island, which is right next to Baltimore, would have been woefully inconvenient.
In 1930, Governor Albert Ritchie appointed a Chesapeake Bay Bridge Commision. Their report, completed without the luxury of compensation, or any funds for engineering studies, concluded that the best place for a bridge or tunnel, the whole State of Maryland considered, was between Sandy Point and Kent Island.⁶ This route, albeit the shortest, had some serious challenges. Two of it's four miles would be over very deep water. Additionally, as it would sit across the approach to the Port of Baltimore, it would have to be either a very long tunnel or a bridge with one of the longest single spans ever built.
Although Governor Ritchie's Commision (which included the famous poet Edgar Allan Poe) admitted the impossibility of accurate cost estimates without engineering studies, their best guess was that a bridge would cost about $16 million and a tunnel only $14.75 million. But in spite of all the reporting about possible Bay crossing structures, Maryland would have to wait for the prosperity of the post-war era to get her Bay Bridge.

Thumbnail of Bay Bridge image. Hotlink to larger version.

Click on Image to View Larger Version.

Sources

1- The Maryland Transportation Authority
2- Ibid.
3- "Report to his Excellency Hon. Albert C. Ritchie, governor of Maryland: with respect to the proposed State-owned ferry between the Eastern and Western Shores of the Chesapeake Bay" Whitman, Ezra B, March 1924
4- Maryland Transportation Authority
5- Report of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Commision. January 1931, p23.
6- Ibid. p25.
7- Ibid. p41.