MARYLAND AT A GLANCE

TRANSPORTATION

BRIDGES

In 1937, the State Roads Commission was authorized 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.

[photo, Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, Maryland] Chesapeake Bay Bridge (US 50/301). 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 passenger vehicles traveling east, a $6.00 toll is collected electronically in Anne Arundel County on the Western Shore (lower for E-ZPass users; higher for vehicles with 3 or more axles).

Chesapeake Bay Bridge westbound span, looking toward Sandy Point State Park, Maryland, May 2001. Photo by Elizabeth W. Newell.

The Chesapeake Bay 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 (US 40). 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. The Hatem Memorial Bridge is 1.5 miles long. Eastbound passenger traffic now electronically pays a $12.00 toll for cars at Perryville (lower for E-ZPass users; higher for vehicles with 3 or more axles).

As the Susquehanna River Toll Bridge, the Hatem Memorial Bridge opened in 1940. In 1986, it was renamed for Thomas J. Hatem (1925-1985) who represented Harford County in the House of Delegates from 1955 to 1958.

Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695).

Opened on March 23, 1977, the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, after a cargo ship crashed into the Bridge about 1:30 a.m. Across Baltimore Harbor, the Bridge extended 1.6 miles. It was part of the Baltimore Beltway (I-695).

[photo, Key Bridge over Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland] Tolls were collected electronically for both north and southbound traffic at the Key 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-ZPass system. Two-axle vehicles electronically paid $6.00 each way (lower for E-ZPass users; higher for vehicles with 3 or more axles).

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

Francis Scott Key Bridge over Patapsco River, Baltimore, Maryland, October 2000. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge over Potomac River, view from Virginia] Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas (Mac) Middleton Bridge (US 301). The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge (Potomac River Bridge) opened in December 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. In 2018, the name of Thomas M. (Mac) Middleton, a State Senator, was added to the bridge. In October 2022, a new bridge opened to replace the original one, which will be demolished.

The Nice Memorial Bridge crosses the Potomac River from Charles County, Maryland, to King George County, Virginia. It has four lanes and is 1.9 miles long. A $9.00 toll is collected electronically from southbound passenger vehicles (lower for E-ZPass users; higher for vehicles with 3 or more axles).

Old Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge over Potomac River, view from Virginia, October 2010. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.

[photo, Interior of Gilpin's Falls Covered Bridge, North East (Cecil County), Maryland] Covered Bridges. Maryland has six public historic covered bridges. These include the Foxcatcher Farms Covered Bridge (Cecil County), Gilpin's Falls Covered Bridge (Cecil County), Jericho Covered Bridge (Baltimore/Harford counties), Loy's Station Covered Bridge (Frederick County), Roddy Road Covered Bridge (Frederick County), and the Utica Mills Covered Bridge (Frederick County).


Interior of Gilpin's Falls Covered Bridge, North East (Cecil County), Maryland, July 2015. Photo by Sarah A. Hanks.

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