Here is a copy of the study:
2005 Chesapeake Bay crossing studyFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to:
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This article or section contains information about a planned or expected future road.
It may contain information of a speculative nature and the content may change dramatically as the road's construction and/or completion approaches and more information becomes available.
The
2005 Chesapeake Bay crossing study was a study conducted by the state of
Maryland in 2005 in order to explore the possibility of building a new crossing of the
Chesapeake Bay. The crossing would either be an entirely new crossing that would complement the existing
Chesapeake Bay Bridge and
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in
Virginia or would be an upgrade to the current Maryland crossing (by adding a third span to it).
Over the past years,
traffic congestion has become an increasing problem for the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge. During the MdTA's 2004 fiscal year (July 1–June 30), it was crossed by approximately 25.8 million vehicles. Plans by Maryland to construct a third crossing of the Chesapeake Bay are in the preliminary stages. During the Summer and Fall of
2005, A specially-appointed task force met to discuss the pros and cons of building a new bridge in four different locations. Members of the task force included Maryland Secretary of Transportation
Robert L. Flanagan who chaired the task force, and Maryland State Senator
Edward Pipkin.Contents[
hide][*]
1 Options[*]
1.1 Zone 1[*]
1.2 Zone 2[*]
1.3 Zone 3[*]
1.4 Zone 4[/list][*]
2 Other Possibilities[*]
3 See also[/list]
[
edit] Options
Scenarios for the new bridge include the a northern crossing between
Baltimore and
Kent Counties ("Zone 1"
, adding a third bridge adjacent to the existing bridges ("Zone 2"
, a crossing from
Anne Arundel County or
Calvert County to
Talbot County ("Zone 3"
, and a southern crossing between southern Calvert County and
Dorchester County ("Zone 4"
.
[1]
[
edit] Zone 1
Roughly 50% of Summer-weekend bridge traffic originates from Baltimore, and Baltimore accounts for 70% of non-Summer weekday bridge traffic. In addition, the crossing will be across more shallow waters than the other crossings. The cons for building a bridge in such a location include the need to upgrade roads in Kent County, as well as Kent County residents' concerns that historic towns in the county such as
Chestertown, would become
suburbs of Baltimore.
[
edit] Zone 2
The plan for Zone 2 would have the existing crossing upgraded by adding a third span to it, thus increasing the capacity of US 50/301 across the bay. This option, the equivalent of which was chosen in the 1960s studies, would require the shortest bridge. However, in order to accommodate the higher capacity of the upgraded crossing (planned to be 10 lanes total), US 50/301 would have to be widened, which would be difficult mostly through
Annapolis and
Kent Island due to development near the highway.
[
edit] Zone 3
A new option explored during the 2000s studies was for a crossing from either Anne Arundel or Calvert County to Talbot County. This crossing would divert more traffic than the Zone 4 crossing while still providing a more direct connection between
Ocean City, the most popular of the Eastern Shore resorts, and the
Western Shore than the current crossing. Its major downfalls are that a series of small bridges would have to be built in Talbot County to serve the bridge, and the bridge itself would be 10-12 miles long, over twice as long as the existing crossing and almost comparable to the length of the
Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel.
[
edit] Zone 4
The southern crossing, between Calvert and Dorchester Counties, would provide the most direct connection between Ocean City and the Western Shore. It has met with much opposition though, due to environmental concerns that the approach roads on the Eastern Shore would be built on
marsh land. In addition, it would divert less traffic than the other crossings and like the Zone 3 crossing, it would require the construction of small bridges on the Eastern Shore side. The total lengths of these bridges could be greater than the length of the main bridge itself.
[
edit] Other Possibilities
As of
2006, some in Maryland have proposed a
hydrofoil ferry service between Baltimore and
Rock Hall, to begin by mid
2007, however, any ferry service has to be approved by the
Maryland General Assembly, and no authorization has been given as of yet. The service could be the first major cross-bay ferry service in Maryland since the building of the Bay Bridge. A ferry however, would take longer to cross and those seeking the path of least resistance when crossing would opt for using the bridge. Fees would be much higher with a ferry service to cross a car ($25 to $45) versus a bridge (current charge on existing bridge is $2.50). Estimates are that a ferry service would only be able to transport approximately 25,000 to 335,000 vehicle per year versus 24 million vehicles per year with a bridge. A Ferry service would not address the traffic congestion in a sufficient matter to be considered as a viable alternative, but may be a possible recreational feature for the bay.
3rd Bay Bridge 
