| Volume 176, Page 44 View pdf image (33K) |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
44 MARYLAND MANUAL such environmental problems as air pollution, water pollu- tion, radiation exposure and the health hazards caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides. The bumper crop of war and post-war babies strained the State's school facili- ties, and required an ever-increasing number of teachers and many new buildings, a demand which only now is be- ginning to taper off. Transportation With practically every family owning one or more auto- mobiles and many cities and towns plagued with traffic and parking problems, the State has been compelled to under- take a gigantic road and bridge building program. A num- ber of outstanding projects have already been completed. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (renamed the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial Bridge in 1967) was completed in 1952 at a cost of $45,000,000. One of the largest con- tinuous over-water steel structures in the world, it spans 4.35 miles of water. The suspension towers, which have a total height of 354 feet, are 2922 1/2 feet apart and the span between them affords a clearance height of 198 1/2 feet to vessels passing up and down the Bay. The weekend traffic jams caused in the summer by the overwhelming popularity of Maryland's only ocean resort, Ocean City, led the Gen- eral Assembly to authorize the construction of three addi- tional crossings over the Chesapeake Bay. Work has been completed on a bridge that parallels the present structure at a cost of approximately $120,000,000. It was dedicated on June 28, 1973. At Ocean City, Route 90 connecting 62nd Street to Route 589 was opened to traffic in August, 1971 with the expectation of reducing the flow of motor vehicles in the downtown area. The new route passes over new bridges crossing St. Martin's River and Assawoman Bay. Another remarkable engineering feat, the Baltimore Har- bor Tunnel, was opened to traffic at midnight, November 29, 1957. Built at a cost of $130,000,000 it is 6,300 feet long and has, in all, sixteen miles of approach expressways that enable the motorist to speed rapidly through one of the most highly congested areas of Baltimore. The tunnel also has proven to be highly successful and bonds amounting to $109,150,000 have already been issued to cover the cost of an additional tunnel to be known as the Baltimore Harbor Outer Tunnel. These facilities together with the Baltimore Beltway, the Jones Falls Expressway and the Harrisburg Expressway have the common purpose of speeding traffic through, around and away from the city. |
| |||
|
| ||||
|
| ||||
Please view image to verify text. To report an error, please contact us.
Maryland Manual, 1973-74
| Volume 176, Page 44 View pdf image (33K) |
|
Tell Us What You Think About the Maryland State Archives Website!
|
An Archives of Maryland electronic publication.
For information contact
mdlegal@mdarchives.state.md.us.
Maryland State Archives