TOMORROW'S ROADS TODAY - Maryland State Highway ...

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Baltimore city limits in new suburban developments. Traffic in new areas outside the cities was
an unanticipated problem that increased highway congestion and accident rates. A final issue
compounding the SRC’s traffic problems was Maryland’s common border with Washington,
DC. The start of the Cold War with the threat of nuclear war required the SRC to improve the
road system for better military readiness and possible civilian evacuations.
When the Baltimore-Washington Parkway opened on October 23, 1954, The Baltimore
Sun reported that travel times between Baltimore and Washington had been reduced to forty-five
minutes compared to the over one-hour commute on US 1. 39 The ease and high speed of
traveling between two distant places on a wide and stoplight-free highway became the hallmark
of Maryland’s post-war highway system. During the Five Year Program, in addition to the
construction of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the SRC
also worked on a number of other state highways, widening them and building new bridges for
the wider roads. With the large number of projects to complete, the agency used standardization
for every aspect of road construction because it decreased the design and construction periods.
One aspect of the standardization was in the SRC’s incorporation of the AASHO guidelines and
standards for highway and bridge design into the SRC’s own published standards. The AASHO
and SRC guidance did not specify a particular design, but provided information about how to
design safe and adequate roads and bridges and a dependable product.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge
In 1949, as construction of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway continued, the SRC also
began building the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, including the US 50 approach roads outside of
Annapolis and on the Eastern Shore towards Queenstown. In particular, the SRC confronted a
poor crossing between Maryland’s Eastern and Western shores. In addition to the distance of
four miles, the bridge crossed over the main shipping channel leading to the Baltimore port.
Although delayed by World War II, the Section 10 permit that had been issued in 1940 by the
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was still effective and work began in 1949. 40
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a multi-span structure with concrete beam approaches,
Wichert and simple deck trusses and two types of cantilever trusses, which form a suspension
bridge at the main crossing between the two towers. 41 Originally the bridge had a 24-foot
roadway width with two 18 inch emergency footways. One lane of vehicles crossed the bridge
in each direction. 42 When the first bridge was completed in 1952, it was notable as the largest
suspension bridge in the world and for permanently connecting Maryland’s Eastern and Western
shores. More importantly, it was the first toll facility constructed under Governor Lane’s Five-
Year Program using money generated from the highway bonds. Unlike the Baltimore-
Washington Expressway, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was planned as a revenue generating
39 The Baltimore Sun, “45 Minutes to Washington,” October 24, 1954, Maryland Department, Enoch Pratt Free
Library Vertical Files.
40 Section 10 of the Harbors and Rivers Act of 1899 permits are issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers.
41 Also known as the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge in honor of the Governor’s patronage 1947-1952.
The Maryland Toll Authority (now Maryland Transportation Authority or MdTA) added three lanes to the crossing
when the parallel span opened in 1972.
42 The Chesapeake Bay Bridge was widened by removing safety sidewalks and reducing the width of the shoulders.