William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge

Until the mid twentieth century, the only way to get to the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake was to take a ferry or to go through Cecil County. Even at its narrowest point near Annapolis, the ferry trip took forty minutes. This changed in 1952 with the opening of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. At the time it was the third longest bridge in the world. The project was financed by Alex Brown and Sons, the original financiers of the B&O railroad and was paid for with tolls. To comply with federal law, the structure curves out from the western shore to be at right angles with the shipping channel when it crosses. The towers of its suspension span can be seen from the Annapolis Harbor on a clear day. The bridge created new growth in the formerly backwoods communities of the Eastern Shore. In 1973 a second bridge was opened. It has since been renamed the William Preston Lane Memorial Bridge, in honor of the statesman who campaigned for its construction.

Facts and Figures

Directions

Span: 4.2 miles

Main Span: 2922.5 ft

Tower height: 354 ft

Road height: 198 ft.

Cost: $44 million

Take I-97 to exit one.
Exit on to US 50/301 east.
From the Eastern Shore take either US 50 or 301 west.
The Lane Memorial Bridge lies between Annapolis and Kent Island over the Chesapeake.

Map

References:

www.mdarchives.state.md.us
"2,300 cars cross Bay Bridge in 6 hours" Baltimore Sun article, 7/31/52