Bay Bridge Replacement: Could New Crossing Have 10 Lanes Split Between 2 Spans?

ANNAPOLIS, MD — In a push to relieve Chesapeake Bay Bridge traffic, Maryland officials revealed possible ideas to build two wider spans and then demolish the current two crossings. Previous suggestions centered on building a third span to supplement the existing two.

Plans are far from finalized. Transportation leaders are still evaluating all options, including the possibility of not building anything at all, in a federally required environmental study.

Marylanders will have a chance to comment at open houses virtually on Dec. 4, in Anne Arundel County on Dec. 9 and in Queen Anne's County on Dec. 11.

The study still has two years to go, so there is still quite some time before final decisions and any potential construction.

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the Bay Bridge, thinks adding more lanes will reduce summer weekend traffic that currently causes miles of delays.

The MDTA also said the existing spans will need more frequent maintenance, which will require 24/7 lane closures for construction in the coming decades. Bay Bridge maintenance cost $1.1 billion from 1970 through 2023, but it's expected to cost $3.8 billion from 2024 through 2065 in 2025 dollars.

By building two entirely new crossings, the MDTA also hopes to increase room for ships heading to the Port of Baltimore. The tallest ships just barely squeeze under the current Bay Bridge, and logistics experts expect a boom of even larger shipping vessels in the near future. The rebuilt Francis Scott Key Bridge is also poised to have more vertical clearance, accommodating the largest ships and keeping the port of Baltimore competitive.

The MDTA has pivoted away from talks of a full tunnel, a bridge-tunnel and a double-decker bridge.

The MDTA is still considering building nothing at all.

The options that require construction would have either a combined eight or ten lanes split between the two spans of the bridge. The on-shore roads approaching the bridge would have either a combined six or eight lanes split between the eastbound and westbound roadways.

The MDTA now lists its "proposed retained alternatives" as building nothing at all or constructing two new replacement spans with:

• A combined eight bridge lanes with a combined six approach lanes
• A combined eight bridge lanes with a combined eight approach lanes
• A combined 10 bridge lanes with a combined eight approach lanes

These options could all be built immediately north or south of the existing bridge.

The current bridge spans have a combined five lanes and a combined six approach lanes.

Eight combined bridge lanes would cost $7.3 billion, while 10 total bridge lanes would run at $8.4 billion.

The MDTA could land on some other span or lane format before the study finishes, but these are the options explicitly mentioned in the materials for the upcoming open houses.

How We Got Here

Any potential construction is still years away.

Highway officials are currently conducting a traffic and environmental review to determine the best way to relieve traffic around the Bay Bridge.

This analysis is required for all projects that need federal funding or approval under the National Environmental Policy Act. The Federal Highway Administration manages this process. The evaluation has two tiers.

Maryland conducted a Tier 1 Study from fall 2017 through spring 2022. This phase evaluated more than a dozen corridors to construct a new span. The study also considered the potential for not building a new span at all.

Tier 1 concluded that the preferred, but not finalized, proposal was to build a third span near the existing two crossings in Annapolis. This area, known as Corridor 7, is 22 miles long and 2 miles wide. It runs from the Severn River Bridge on the Western Shore to the split of U.S. Route 50 and U.S. Route 301 on the Eastern Shore.

The preference for a third span seems to have waned in the latest MDTA materials analyzing the two potential replacement spans.

What's Next

This $28 million Tier 2 Study started in June 2022.

Over the next several years, the study will examine the traffic and environmental effects of building a crossing somewhere within this corridor.

Officials expect to finish Tier 2 in fall 2026.

At that point, Maryland will have an official suggestion on if and where exactly it should build the new crossings.

The funding, design and construction processes would likely take several years beyond that.

Leaders agree that traffic continues to be a problem near the Bay Bridge. With 27.6 million crossings in 2019, the bridge has been one of Maryland's worst bottlenecks for years.

By 2045, traffic volumes are expected to grow by about 25% to 30% if no construction is done.

How To Participate In Town Halls

The December open houses will all be held from 6 to 8 p.m. There will not be a formal presentation, but officials will answer questions.

The virtual meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 4, will take place at baycrossingstudy.com.

The Anne Arundel County forum will be held on Monday, Dec. 9, at Broadneck High School, located in Annapolis at 1265 Green Holly Drive.

The Queen Anne's County town hall will be on Wednesday, Dec. 11, at Kent Island High School, located in Stevensville at 900 Love Point Road.

The study team is also accepting comments through Monday, Jan. 13, 2025. Comments can be submitted in multiple ways:

• Submit a comment form at one of the in-person open houses.
• Submit an electronic comment form at baycrossingstudy.com
• Email your comments to info@baycrossingstudy.com
• Print and mail a completed comment form to: Bay Crossing Study, 2310 Broening Highway, Baltimore, MD 21224

Display boards that will be shown at the open houses are viewable here. Visit baycrossingstudy.com for more details. Anybody who needs accommodations for their language or disability can must contact the MDTA at 410-537-1000 (711 for MD Relay) no later than 10 business days before the meeting.

Related:

• Bay Bridge Closing 1 Span Overnight For Next Year
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• Bay Bridge Drivers Get Earlier Warning Of Lane Closures Via New Signs
• New Bay Bridge Span Inches Closer To Reality, MD Launches Next Step
• New Bay Bridge Crossing: MD Officially Proposes Location For 3rd Span