MARYLAND MANUAL 89
completed for the entire distance in 1941. This bridge consists
of a span crossing the west channel 2,169'0" long, crossing the
Garrett Island, l,509'9" long, crossing the east channel 1,646'0" long,
and a west approach 1,039'0", and east approach, 1,248'0" long mak-
ing a total length of 7,613'0" from abutment to abutment. The high-
way approach on the west abutment is 1,175'0" long, and the highway
approach to the east abutment is 1,573'0" long, making a total length
of the bridge and approaches, 10,361'0".
The bridge provides a roadway 46' wide between curbs, and will
accomodate four lanes of traffic. The toll plaza and administration
building are located at the east approach to the bridge in Cecil
County.
The toll traffic is controlled by an electrically operated automatic
recording device designed for the speedy and efficient handling of
traffic.
The Susquehanna River Bridge received from the American Insti-
tute of Steel Construction, Inc., at the May, 1941 meeting of that
body, an award of First Place in Class A Structures, this bridge be-
ing recognized as the most beautiful steel bridge to be constructed in
America during 1940.
The approximate total completion cost for constructing the Sus-
quehanna River Bridge will be $4,535,850, of which sum $2,907,000
was provided from the net sale of Bridge Bonds, and funds made
available by the Federal Government to the extent of $2,041,132.
During the period of time the bridge has been opened to traffic
and the collection of tolls; that is, from August 28, 1940 to August
28, 1941, a period of twelve months, a total of 3,595,675 vehicles
crossed the bridge, resulting in a gross income of $730,621.03.
POTOMAC RIVER TOLL BRIDGE
The Potomac River Toll Bridge crosses the Potomac River from a
point in Charles County, Maryland, near Newburg, to a point opposite
in the State of Virginia, near Dahlgren. It forms a link connecting
the Maryland and Virginia Systems of Highways between La Plata,
Charles County, Maryland, and King George County, Virginia.
This bridge is the only one crossing the Potomac River between the
District of Columbia and the mouth of the River at the Chesapeake
Bay, and provides access and uninterrupted communication between
the two States now separated by the Potomac River. It likewise pro-
vides an alternate route for tourists and commercial traveling from
Baltimore and the North, to Richmond, Norfolk and the South. It
provides easier and cheaper access for marketing produce to the
Northern markets. It is a link in the Nation's north-south coastal
highway system, with easy grade and straight alignment from New
England to Florida.
The Potomac River Bridge is a high-level bridge, the main span
of which provides a horizontal clearance of 700' and a vertical clear-
ance of 135' over the main ship channel of the Potomac River. The
bridge is approximately 9,918'0" long from abutment to abutment,
with a bridge approach in Maryland of approximately 1,527'. The
total length from the bridge abutment on the Virginia side, to the end
of the Maryland approach, is 11,446'0".
This bridge is designed for a roadway 24' wide, to accommodate two
lanes of travel, and by reason of its design, there is no necessity for
movable span.
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