The Chesapeake Bay Bridge - Daily Dose Documentary

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge

both spans of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Hotly debated following early proposals in the 1940s, construction of the first span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge or simply the Bay Bridge to locals, was delayed by American involvement in the Second World War.

When Was the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Built?

Construction took place between January 1949 and its inaugural opening to motor traffic on July 30th, 1952.

Before the official opening, a parade of flag-waving vehicles made a ceremonial first crossing, led by then Governor Theodore Roosevelt McKeldin and other state officials. On November 9th, 1967, the bridge was renamed the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, in honor of Maryland’s state governor who had pushed funding for the bridge through the state legislature.

How Long is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge?

After a second span was added in 1973, the dueling, parallel bridges cross 4.3 miles of open Chesapeake, serving as a vital link between to major metropolitan areas of Baltimore, Washington and Annapolis, allowing automobiles to access the coastal tourist destinations of Ocean City, Maryland, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware and other coastal and Eastern Shore attractions.

The Bay Bridge is a busy point of traffic congestion during the summer months. However, some of the slowdown was eliminated when a drawbridge was removed at Kent Narrows, after the construction and grand opening of the new Kent Narrows Bridge in November of 1990.

Before the first span of the Bay Bridge was completed in 1952, access to the Eastern Shore of Maryland was limited to private vessels and commercial ferries, yet after the Bay Bridge opened, population and construction witnessed the explosive growth of Queen Anne’s County and Ocean City Maryland.

An annual 10K run or walk across the bridge has been held on and off since 1975, giving locals and tourists alike the chance for a close encounter with the Bay Bridge and the Chesapeake at large, offering participants a commanding view from 186 feet above the water at its highest point, making the Bay Bridge, an iconic symbol of the Upper Chesapeake.