🌉Maryland gets final environmental approval to replace the Chesapeake Bay Bridge with two new spans

If you cross the Bay Bridge, its replacement just cleared a big hurdle. The Maryland Transportation Authority announced Thursday that the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study has final environmental approval. The chosen plan, Alternative C, would build two new four-lane spans with full shoulders and remove the old ones. WBOC notes the bridge now has two lanes in each direction and no full shoulders. U.S. 50/301 would widen to eight lanes from west of Oceanic Drive to east of Cox Creek. Design would begin in 2028, with construction as soon as 2032.

• Clearance: 230 feet, same as the new Francis Scott Key Bridge
• Transit: proposed one-time investment of up to $40 million
• Bike and pedestrian path: optional, pending a future financial analysis
• Land: commitment to land preservation on the Eastern Shore

Costs are estimated at $12 billion to nearly $18 billion, and MDTA says the crossing would add $23 billion to the local economy. Cruz Ynostrosta, who drives in from Deale each day, said, “We want a faster commute.” Kent Island's John Ruth is more cautious: “My biggest fear is maybe the environmental impact.”