New Bay Bridge Span Inches Closer To Reality, MD Launches Next Step Of Environmental Study

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland on Friday advanced its proposal to build a third span of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Gov. Larry Hogan announced that the state will start the next step of its required environmental impact study.

Maryland is still years from potentially breaking ground. Still, this update shows the state is seriously pushing for another span near the existing two crossings.

"In years to come, the traffic here will continue to get worse," Hogan said at an Eastern Shore press conference with the Bay Bridge in the background. "Last year, we saw weekends with the highest traffic volumes on record."

By 2040, the governor said traffic is projected to grow by 22 percent on non-summer weekdays and 14 percent on summer weekends.

The state will now begin its Tier 2 environmental impact study, as required by the National Environmental Policy Act.

Maryland released its Tier 1 study earlier this year. This report examined more than a dozen potential corridors for building another span. The report's final decision was to propose building another crossing near the current site.

"Since then, we have heard loud and clear that taking the next step is a priority for everyone in Maryland," Hogan said at the conference.

The Tier 2 study will examine the effects of specific locations within the approved 2-mile wide, 22-mile long corridor. That corridor 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 analysis will also compare these potential sites with the option to not build another span.

The $28 million study could take 4 or 5 years before it's ready to submit to the Federal Highway Administration, also known as the FHWA.

The analysis will:

• Evaluate the necessary number of bridge and highway lanes to manage traffic
• Evaluate options such as a new bridge or replacement of the existing Bay Bridge
• Evaluate how buses, ferries, transportation system management and demand management could be used in conjunction with these crossing alignments
• Evaluate local access alternatives
• Review potential environmental impacts
• Determine project delivery methods, such as design-bid-build, design-build, or Public-Private Partnership, to organize and finance design, construction, operations, and maintenance
• Develop a financial plan that could lead to FHWA ultimately approving one alignment with a Tier 2 NEPA Record of Decision

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman cheered the news and thanked Hogan for considering delays on U.S. Route 50.

"I want to thank Governor Hogan for not only moving forward with the Bay Crossing Phase 2 Study, but also supporting our request to include the westbound approach to the bridge, so that the crippling traffic in the heart of our county can be addressed in a comprehensive way," Pittman said in a press release.

Maryland Transportation Authority Executive Director William Pines agreed that nearby traffic will be an important factor in the upcoming analysis.

“Today’s announcement marks a major milestone for Maryland that advances a path forward for congestion relief at the Bay Bridge and for local communities in Anne Arundel and Queen Anne’s counties,” Pines said in a separate release.

The Maryland Transportation Authority Board expects to vote on its draft Consolidated Transportation Program at its June 23 meeting. This includes funding for the Tier 2 study.

If the study agrees that building a third span is the best option, the Federal Highway Administration may approve the project. The design could only begin after that. Officials would still need to acquire the necessary land before construction.

How We Got Here

With 27.6 million crossings in 2019, the Bay Bridge has been one of Maryland's worst traffic bottlenecks for years. Driving across the bridge is the quickest way for most Marylanders to reach the Eastern Shore. That popularity causes frequent traffic jams, especially during peak travel times.

Authorities have pitched several solutions over the last decade. Suggestions included adding a third span and replacing the existing structures with a single, larger crossing.

The Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the bridge, identified 14 possible locations for a third span. Those sites stretched from Harford County to St. Mary's County.

Highway officials narrowed that list to three remaining potentials and a no-build option in 2019. Those finalists were:

• Building no more bridges
• Constructing a crossing from Pasadena to the Eastern Shore (Corridor 6)
• Adding a span from Annapolis to the Eastern shore near the existing location (Corridor 7)
• Erecting an overpass from Mayo to the Eastern shore (Corridor 8)

Under the Pasadena possibility, cars would have followed Maryland Route 100 until it hits Maryland Route 177. The bridge would have jetted out near Gibson Island and tied into U.S. Route 301 on the Eastern Shore.

With the Mayo potential, traffic would have flowed from U.S. Route 50 to Maryland Route 424 and into Maryland Route 214 on the Western Shore. The crossing would have started around the mouth of Rhode River near Beverly Triton Nature Park. This would have eventually connected with U.S. Route 50 on the Eastern Shore.

Both the Pasadena and Mayo plans would have required building new roads on the Eastern Shore to connect to main thoroughfares.

Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman was unhappy and unsurprised with the state's Annapolis selection, but he wants to make the best of the situation.

"While we would have preferred a crossing that would draw traffic to other corridors, we must now work to ensure that the next phase of study protects our existing communities and environmentally-sensitive areas," Pittman said in an April press release. "We must also explore future traffic patterns along the whole Route 50 corridor, including options for public transit, shifts from sprawl development to smart growth, and telecommuting."

Gov. Larry Hogan, on the other hand, has always preferred building in Annapolis.

"There is only one option I will ever accept: adding a third span to our existing Bay Bridge," Hogan said on Twitter in 2019. "While the federal process requires multiple proposals, the data is indisputable — this option would maximize congestion relief and minimize environmental impact."

The Transportation Authority in 2019 started its review, named the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study: Tier 1 National Environmental Policy Act. The team released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement in February 2021, naming the Annapolis site the lead contender. Planners think this area will relieve the most traffic.

The draft got more than 850 agency and public comments while it was open for review from Feb. 23, 2021 through May 17, 2021.

The Transportation Authority published its final version of the report on April 21. That announcement is called a Final Environmental Impact Statement and a Record of Decision. The Federal Highway Administration approved the document, which is viewable at this link and at these libraries.

That update formalized the Annapolis location as the route to pursue.

More information is available at baycrossingstudy.com.

RELATED:

• New Bay Bridge Crossing: MD Officially Proposes Location For 3rd Span
• Bigger Bay Bridge Proposed By Anne Arundel
• Bay Bridge Compromise Pitched
• Proposed Bay Bridge 3rd Span Location Focus Of Public Hearings
• New Bay Bridge Crossing Site Proposed By MD Officials
• Bay Bridge Crossing Options: Public Hearings Run Through Oct. 9
• Only 1 Option For New Bay Bridge Crossing Gov. Hogan Will OK

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