Traffic Chesapeake Bay Bridge (2024)

FAQs

How to avoid the Chesapeake Bay Bridge? ›

If you'd like to avoid crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, consider this alternative route: Follow I-95 north into northern Delaware. Take Exit 4A, marked "Christiana Mall," onto Delaware Route 1, south toward Dover. South of Dover, U.S. 113 will split from Delaware 1.

From 1994 to 2022, the CBBT recorded 800 reportable accidents. Of those, 300 involved damage to the CBBT's guardrail system. "Only 9 of those incidents resulted in a vehicle going overboard which would be an incident rate per vehicle of less than 0.000009%," Anderson explained.

Opened back in 1956, it spans 23.8 miles. and takes about 30 minutes to cross without traffic. It's free to drive over when heading north, but the return trip requires a six dollar toll.

“[Many drivers] don't like the bridge because of the height, because it turns. They also don't like that as they go up the bridge, they feel like they are going off the edge of it,” says Eskew. “I've coined this the 'Christopher Columbus fear' because you can't see the crest when going over.”

The tunnels connect to the bridge sections via four manmade islands that are each as large as a football field. The depth of the water ranges from 25 to 100 feet, according to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel Commission.

If you do not have an E-ZPass and you go underneath the toll gantry, you will be charged via mailed invoice. A photo of your license plate will be recorded and you will be billed. Tolls via the mailed invoice method are more expensive than using E-ZPass due to administrative costs associated with invoicing.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel (CBBT, officially the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge–Tunnel) is a 17.6-mile (28.3 km) bridge–tunnel that crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay between Delmarva and Hampton Roads in the U.S. state of Virginia.

Why do accidents happen so frequently, given that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland has a speed limit of only 50 mph? - Quora.

This can play havoc with people who suffer from a fear of heights. Another factor is the lack of a hard shoulder on the carriageway, so there is no place to stop once you're on the bridge. Bad weather on the Bay Bridge can also be scary.

Why is the Chesapeake Bay in danger? ›

Humans are Over Fertilizing the Bay

Nutrient pollution also comes from urban sources, including exhaust from automobiles, wastewater, septic systems, and stormwater runoff. These nutrients are overwhelming the Chesapeake's already weakened natural filters and have resulted in a significant loss of wildlife.

Basically take 95 into Delaware and then take the Route 1 South towards Dover/the beaches. I-95 at the Delaware line can sometimes get busy, but I don't think that taking this route will add a lot of time to your trip -- especially when compared to potential Baltimore and Bay Bridge traffic.

Yes, you can make a scenic crossing. U-turn areas are located prior to each of the toll plazas.

In fact, there is one bridge in the U.S. that some people find so terrifying that they have to hire someone to drive their car, with them in it, the entire length of the span. It's the Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge in Maryland, commonly known as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

The history of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel

Starting in the early 1930s, the only way to get from the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area to Virginia's Eastern Shore was via private ferry service. As the ferry service became increasingly busy with passengers, the need for a faster, fixed crossing became apparent.