historic context of maryland highway bridges built between 1948 ...
historic context of maryland highway bridges built between 1948 ...
historic context of maryland highway bridges built between 1948 ...
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SECTIONTHREEHistoric Contextthe period. When completed, the <strong>highway</strong> was a 30 mile-long divided <strong>highway</strong> requiring <strong>bridges</strong>and connecting roads in 3 counties. Lane‘s tenure also saw construction starts on the Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway (I 83) and the Washington National Pike (later I 270) south <strong>of</strong> Frederick,with the principle as a guide. Partial limited access (where access was denied except at selectedroad crossings) was used for new <strong>highway</strong>s such as the eastern approach to the Bay Bridge (US50) and the section <strong>of</strong> US 40 from Pine Orchard to West Friendship (La Viness 1958:161).Governor Lane‘s enthusiasm for spending money on roads and other programs led to hisreplacement by Theodore R. McKeldin (1951-1959) as state spending rose from $60 to $219million during his term and the higher taxes need to pay his programs became too burdensomefor most voters (Brugger 1988:569). Yet, McKeldin also believed that the modernization <strong>of</strong>roads and state services in general was among his chief aims in <strong>of</strong>fice. He therefore supportedthe completion <strong>of</strong> the Bay Bridge and funded a study <strong>of</strong> future road needs and how to pay forthem (Brugger 1988:574; LaViness 1958:165). Known as the Twelve-Year Program,McKeldin‘s plan was designed to rebuild Maryland‘s road system by 1965 and included apriority system that enabled each county to receive advance notice <strong>of</strong> the improvements theycould expect and when they would be <strong>built</strong> (LaViness 1958:165).The Legislature adopted McKeldin‘s plan in 1953 with estimated completion costs <strong>of</strong> $568million. The plan scheduled improvements to both the primary and secondary systems in thestate with SRC District Engineers reviewing the plans to utilize their knowledge <strong>of</strong> local roads.The plan called for 241 miles <strong>of</strong> roads <strong>of</strong> the State Primary System to be constructed and/orreconstructed at a cost <strong>of</strong> $367 million and 2,208 miles <strong>of</strong> the State Secondary System at a cost<strong>of</strong> $200 million (Twelve-Year Program 1952:11-12.). The most significant <strong>highway</strong> projectscompleted during his term were the first Chesapeake Bay Bridge (1952), the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (1954), the John Hanson Highway <strong>between</strong> Washington and Annapolis(1955), Interstate 70 from Baltimore to Frederick (1956), the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel andHarbor Tunnel Thruway (1957), and Interstate 270 from Washington to Frederick (1957)(Callcott 1985:67).Governor J. Millard Tawes (1959-1967) continued the support <strong>of</strong> road modernization at the end<strong>of</strong> this period with extraordinary new levels <strong>of</strong> spending being supported by the 90% matchingfunds for interstate <strong>highway</strong>s provided by the federal government. Tawes oversaw thecompletion <strong>of</strong> the Baltimore-Harrisburg Expressway (I 83) in 1959 and later in his term theWashington and Baltimore beltways, and the portions <strong>of</strong> interstate from Baltimore toWilmington, Delaware (I 95), Baltimore to Hancock (I 70), and Washington to Frederick (I 270)(Callcott 1985:67).4.6 THE SRC & THE DIVISION OF BRIDGE DESIGNWith the rapid increase <strong>of</strong> <strong>highway</strong> construction after <strong>1948</strong>, the SRC‘s Division <strong>of</strong> BridgeDesign (DBD) became overwhelmed preparing plans and specifications for structures on newroadways, and for the repair and widening <strong>of</strong> existing <strong>bridges</strong>. The DBD also prepared studies,estimates, and plans for county road structures when requested, making their job even harder.The SRC divided the state into six engineering districts, each under the control <strong>of</strong> a DistrictEngineer, who was responsible for constructing and maintaining <strong>highway</strong>s, <strong>bridges</strong>, and otherfacilities <strong>of</strong> the SRC, including both state and county roads. By 1952, the volume <strong>of</strong>construction and reconstruction had overtaxed the resources <strong>of</strong> all <strong>of</strong> the engineering districts. In\15-SEP-11\\ 4-11