Maryland seeks public input for Chesapeake Bay Bridge crossing study

BALTIMORE -- Maryland is considering plans to replace the aging Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

However, the state is seeking the public's input on the best ways to move forward with the potential projects.

While this could be a decade or more away, county leaders from Anne Arundel and Queen Anne's encourage residents to give their input.

You can find information about the upcoming open houses and submit public comments online here.

The public input meetings will be:

• Wednesday, December 4, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (virtual on this link)
• Monday, December 9, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Broadneck High School, 1265 Green Holly Drive, Annapolis
• Wednesday, December 11, 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Kent Island High School, 900 Love Point Road, Stevensville

Bay Bridge upgrade study

The Maryland Transportation Authority has been studying ways to reduce the traffic from the tens of thousands of vehicles that cross the bridge daily, not to mention the weekend gridlocks from beach traffic in the summer.

"It's ridiculous," Bowie resident David Waddell said. "Most of the time you're a little discouraged if you have to go across unless you've made plans way ahead of time."

The study's first phase explored different locations to put a new crossing but determined the Route 50 corridor is already the best option.

"The decisions they're making now are…is it a bridge? Is it a tunnel? Is it two bridges?" said Jim Moran, President of the Queen Anne's County Commissioners.

In the second phase of the study, officials are considering several options to replace the older spans of the bridge. They are holding open houses in Queen Anne's and Anne Arundel counties next month to get feedback from residents.

All of the proposed options involve expanding the bridge capacity to eight or 10 lanes.

"We've asked them to look at the whole corridor, and not just the bridge itself, because you can have 20 lanes on the bridge, but if you only have three leading up to it, it doesn't make any sense," said Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman.

Pittman said he wants to see plans that include other modes of transportation like a dedicated bus lane.