MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

TRANSPORTATION

BRIDGES

[photo, Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, Maryland] The State Roads Commission was authorized in 1937 to construct bridges financed by tolls to be collected on the completed projects (Chapter 356, Acts of 1937). Now, State bridges are operated and maintained by the Maryland Transportation Authority of the Department of Transportation.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, looking toward Sandy Point State Park, Maryland, May 2001. Photo by Elizabeth W. Newell.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge. The William Preston Lane, Jr., Memorial Bridge (Chesapeake Bay Bridge) spans 4.3 miles across the middle of Chesapeake Bay. Opened in 1952 as a two-lane structure, the Bridge transformed access to Maryland's Eastern Shore. A three-lane parallel bridge opened in 1973. For vehicles traveling east, tolls are collected in Anne Arundel County on the Western Shore.

Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge. This four-lane bridge crosses the Susquehanna River from a point near Perryville in Cecil County to a point near Havre de Grace in Harford County. The Bridge opened in 1940 as the Susquehanna River Toll Bridge. In 1986, it was renamed for Thomas J. Hatem (1925-1985) who represented Harford County in the House of Delegates from 1955 to 1958. The Hatem Memorial Bridge is 1.5 miles long. Part of U.S. 40, the Bridge has eastbound toll collection at Perryville.

[photo, Key Bridge over Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland] Francis Scott Key Bridge. The four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge extends 1.6 miles across Baltimore Harbor. The Bridge opened in 1977. Part of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695), the Bridge has toll collection for both north and southbound traffic. Electronic toll-collection (known as M-TAG) began for the Key Bridge in 1999. In January 2003, M-TAG became part of the E-Z Pass system.

Key Bridge over Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge. The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Potomac River Bridge) crosses the Potomac River from Charles County, Maryland, to King George County, Virginia. The Bridge opened in 1940 as the Potomac River Toll Bridge. In 1967, it was renamed for Harry W. Nice (1877-1941) who served as governor of Maryland from 1935 to 1939. The Nice Memorial Bridge has two lanes and is 1.7 miles long. Tolls are collected from southbound vehicles.
[photo, Solomons Island Bridge over Patuxent River (view from St. Mary's County shore), Maryland]

Solomons Island Bridge over Patuxent River (view from St. Mary's County shore), Maryland, May 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

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