MDTA weighs options to ease traffic congestion on Chesapeake Bay Bridge
BALTIMORE -- The Maryland Transportation Authority is discussing options to ease congestion on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
Several options are on the table, most of which would expand the bridge from five to 10 lanes. The Bay Bridge, which serves as a gateway from Baltimore and Washington D.C. to the Maryland and Delaware beaches, opened in 1952.
The transportation authority has been studying ways to reduce traffic from the tens of thousands of vehicles crossing daily, including the gridlock 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 it."
MDTA presented in a virtual forum on Wednesday the second phase of the study, which includes considering several options to replace the older spans of the bridge.
"It's all about getting traffic to move smoothly," said Jim Moran, President of the Queen Anne's County Commissioners.
Bay Bridge options
MDTA says at least seven options are being proposed for further study.
Options include:
- Maintaining the current Bay Bridge.
- Several other options focus on building an entirely new bridge with two spans with anywhere from six to 10 lanes.
- The new proposed plans would also include bus service improvements and potential bike lanes.
MDTA officials say the existing bridges are not up to standards and if it's not replaced soon, billions of dollars will be spent on maintenance.
"The existing bridges are getting older, and as they age, they require more and more major reconstruction projects, and by 2065, we would be spending $3.8 billion maintaining those two bridge spans," an MTA official said.
Public feedback
While construction might be a few years away in 2032, MDTA is accepting public feedback until January 13.
The next meeting will be on December 9 at Broadneck High School in Annapolis.
