BALTIMORE, MD (November 12, 2024) – The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) will host three Open Houses in December for the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study: Tier 2 NEPA (Tier 2 Study), as part of the federally-required National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The December Open Houses mark a major milestone for the Tier 2 Study. The MDTA will share alternatives to address existing and future transportation issues at the William Preston Lane, Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge.
At the Open Houses, the MDTA will display materials describing the agency’s proposed action and the proposed retained alternatives that will be evaluated in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The alternatives would remove the existing eastbound and westbound Bay Bridge spans and replace them with two new bridge spans. The new bridge spans would be constructed near the location of the existing bridge spans. Ongoing studies will determine the exact location of any new bridge.
All interested parties are invited to attend the December Open Houses to learn about the proposed alternatives and the potential environmental impacts. The following are the dates and times for each meeting:
Virtual Open House
Wednesday, December 4, 2024
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
baycrossingstudy.com
Anne Arundel County Open House
Monday, December 9, 2024
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Broadneck High School
1265 Green Holly Drive
Annapolis, MD 21409
Queen Anne’s County Open House
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Kent Island High School
900 Love Point Road
Stevensville, MD 21666
There will be no formal presentation; however, the Study team will be available to answer questions during both in-person and virtual events. Visit the Study website at baycrossingstudy.com to view the Open House materials and to submit questions to be answered during the virtual Open House.
The MDTA is committed to providing opportunities for inclusive and transparent stakeholder engagement to promote an equitable transportation study process and to ensure equity considerations are incorporated into Study decision-making.
The Study team encourages the public to provide comments regarding the
Tier 2 Study by Monday, January 13, 2025. Comments can be submitted in multiple ways:
- Submit a comment form at one of the in-person Open Houses.
- Submit an electronic comment form at baycrossingstudy.com
- Email comments to info@baycrossingstudy.com
- Print and mail a completed comment form to:
Bay Crossing Study
2310 Broening Highway
Baltimore, MD 21224
In coordination with the Federal Highway Administration, the MDTA is following the well-established NEPA process to study alternatives that address existing and future capacity needs and access across the Chesapeake Bay, and along the U.S. 50/301 approaches to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge from the
MD 2/MD 450 Interchange near Arnold to the U.S. 50/301 split near Grasonville. NEPA evaluation is mandated for all projects receiving federal funding or approvals.
The December Open Houses will serve as scoping meetings to solicit input on the issues that will be evaluated in the EIS. This process is being initiated formally with publication of a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an EIS in the Federal Register. The NOI contains important details about the proposed study and will be made available at the BCS Tier 2 Study website at baycrossingstudy.com.
The proposed retained alternatives, (which would be the alternatives retained for detailed study in the EIS) include the No-Build Alternative and six build alternatives. Each of the proposed build alternatives would remain on the existing U.S. 50/301 alignment and include removal of the existing Bay Bridge spans and, construction of a new bridge with two spans. The new bridge would be located just north or south of the existing Bay Bridge.
- Alternative A (No-Build Alternative): retains the existing Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the U.S. 50/301 alignment, and the existing number of lanes: 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 5 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on the existing bridge, and 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative B (6-8-6 North): 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 8 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the north of the existing bridge, and 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative C (6-8-6 South): 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 8 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the south of the existing bridge, and 6 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative D (8-8-8 North): 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 8 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the north of the existing bridge, 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative E (8-8-8 South): 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 8 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the south of the existing bridge, 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative F (8-10-8 North): 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 10 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the north of the existing bridge, 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
- Alternative G (8-10-8 South): 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Western Shore, 10 lanes across the Chesapeake Bay on a new bridge to the south of the existing bridge, 8 lanes along U.S. 50/301 on the Eastern Shore.
The proposed build alternatives also include consideration of:
- Inclusion of a pedestrian/bicycle shared use path;
- Transit options including enhancements to bus service; and
- Transportation System Management (TSM)/Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies including part-time shoulder use, interchange consolidation, park-and-ride facilities, and congestion pricing.
The Open Houses will summarize the following options that the MDTA has considered but is not recommended to be carried forward:
- Structure type: full tunnel, bridge-tunnel combination, and double-decker bridge
- Number of Lanes: six lanes on Western Shore, six lanes on bridge, six lanes on Eastern Shore (6-6-6); ten lanes on Western Shore, ten lanes on bridge, ten lanes on Eastern Shore (10-10-10); more than ten lanes on the bridge or the U.S. 50/301 approaches
- Structure Location: fully in between and farther south of the existing bridge spans
- Transit: ferry and high-capacity transit including rail and bus rapid transit
- TSM/TDM: ramp metering, express-local lanes, and priced managed lanes, and
- A combined transit and TSM/TDM standalone alternative.
Based on the MDTA’s analysis, these options would not address the Study’s need to improve adequate capacity and reliable travel times, mobility, roadway deficiencies, existing and future maintenance, and/or navigation. They would have comparatively higher cost or greater environmental impacts than the proposed retained alternatives. Additional rationale supporting these recommendations can be found in the Open House materials on the Study website at baycrossingstudy.com as well as in the NOI to be posted on the Study website.
Individuals who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or who require translation services (free of charge) should contact the MDTA at 410-537-1000 (711 for MD Relay) no later than ten (10) business days before the Open House they would like to attend.
The Maryland Transportation Authority finances, owns, operates, secures, and improves the state’s eight toll facilities. The MDTA is financed by toll revenue without relying on state tax dollars.