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, a $2.50 toll is collected in Anne Arundel County on the Western Shore.

The Bridge was named for William Preston Lane, Jr. (1892-1967), who served as governor of Maryland from 1947 to 1951.

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. Part of U.S. 40, the Hatem Memorial Bridge is 1.5 miles long. Eastbound passenger traffic now pays a $5.00 toll at Perryville.

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.

[photo, Key Bridge over Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland]

Francis Scott Key Bridge. Opened in 1977, the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge extends 1.6 miles across Baltimore Harbor. The Bridge is part of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695).

Tolls are collected for both north and southbound traffic at the Bridge. 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. Two-axle vehicles pay $2.00 each way.

The Bridge was named for Francis Scott Key (1780-1843), who wrote "The Star Spangled Banner" following the British attack on Baltimore, September 13, 1814.

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) 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 crosses the Potomac River from Charles County, Maryland, to King George County, Virginia. It has two lanes and is 1.7 miles long. A $3.00 toll is collected from southbound passenger vehicles.