Highlights

The Bay Bridge carries travelers on Route 50 and Route 301 between the Chesapeake Bay's eastern and western shores. The idea of a bridge to traverse the Chesapeake Bay had long been discussed, but not until 1938 was state funding appropriated to the project. Ground finally broke in January 1949, and the original two-lane span of the 4.3-mile William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1952. It replaced a ferry service that would carry cars across the bay. At the time, it was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure. As the need for efficient road travel and traffic grew, the original span was repurposed to carry eastbound traffic, and construction on a seco...
The Bay Bridge carries travelers on Route 50 and Route 301 between the Chesapeake Bay's eastern and western shores. The idea of a bridge to traverse the Chesapeake Bay had long been discussed, but not until 1938 was state funding appropriated to the project. Ground finally broke in January 1949, and the original two-lane span of the 4.3-mile William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge opened to traffic in 1952. It replaced a ferry service that would carry cars across the bay. At the time, it was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure. As the need for efficient road travel and traffic grew, the original span was repurposed to carry eastbound traffic, and construction on a second span carrying westbound traffic over the bay began in 1969 and was completed in 1973. The Maryland Transportation Authority, which maintains the bridge, is in the midst of a preservation and reconstruction project that includes resurfacing a portion of the westbound roadway. That work has forced the cancelation of the annual Bay Bridge Walk until 2009, when work is expected to be completed.
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Jump in Md. tolls likely after 2010
As the Maryland Transportation Authority's revenues have declined this year, its costs for construction of the Intercounty Connector have risen to the point where the project now accounts for 53 percent of the agency's budget - forcing delays in other...Tags: Finance, Government, Transportation, Budgets and Budgeting, Montgomery (Montgomery, Alabama)
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Nor'easter batters Ocean City
Ocean City was pounded late Thursday by heavy rains and high winds from a severe nor'easter that was causing moderate to heavy flooding from rain and tides.
With a high-pressure system blocking its path to the north, the storm was lingering over the...Tags: Emergency Planning, Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia), Emergency Incidents, Weather Reports, Hampton Roads Weather
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Idea for how ships can trim turnaround times
Driving over the Bay Bridge on his way to work about four years ago, Luis Elizondo routinely found himself thinking about the large ships he saw waiting in long queues on their way to Baltimore to unload their cargo. Elizondo figured the waiting that...Tags: Colleges and Universities, Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia), Shipping Service, Transportation, Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks
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George A. Strauss Jr.
George Albert Strauss Jr., a retired underground utility, bridge and marine contractor who rose from a construction laborer to contracting company executive, died of congestive heart failure Saturday at Northwest Hospital Center. He was 89.
Born in...Tags: Employees, Sykesville, Ethics, Deere and Company, Engineering
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Friday morning bridge and tunnel closures
Daily PressChincoteague causeway is closed. James River Bridge remains closed. Great Bridge and Steel Bridge are closed. Midtown Tunnel remains closed. Only cars with no exterior cargo are currently allowed to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.Tags: Chincoteague (Accomack, Virginia)
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TRAFFIC UPDATE: Route 58 Midtown Tunnel is closed
Daily PressI-64 Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel eastbound is currently slow moving, with back-up to Settlers Landing Road. Westbound traffic is backed up three miles to Wiloughby Bridge. Route 58 Midtown Tunnel is closed; westbound and eastbound roadway maintenance...Tags: Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel
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Giant runaway barge towed off of Sandbridge beach
Virginia Beach, Va. - The giant runaway barge that grounded itself in Sandbridge Friday morning is finally free. Two tugs pulling at the bow and stern of the 580-foot long La Princesa dragged it off the beach at high tide this morning. "It's been a...Tags: Emergency Planning, Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia), Hampton Roads
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TRAFFIC: James River Bridge and Midtown Tunnel remain closed
Daily PressAt the I-64 HRBT, westbound traffic is backed up 4 miles. On Route 17, the James River Bridge is closed in both directions due to standing water. Motorists should use the Monitor Merrimac Memorial Bridge Tunnel as an alternate route. The Midtown...Tags: Norfolk (Norfolk, Virginia)
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Is it a Thanksgiving cactus or a Christmas cactus?
A cactus at Thanksgiving and a cactus at Christmas automatically add the "I'm decorated and ready to entertain look" to your home. Is there a difference between the two? They are the same but yet they aren't — mostly in minor ways. The holiday...
Tags: Museum Dioramas, Religious Festivals, Easter, Colonial Williamsburg, Poquoson (Poquoson, Virginia)
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Authorities Name Trucker Killed In Bay Bridge Crash
The Associated PressAuthorities have released the name of the trucker who was killed when his big rig plunged off the side of a new section of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The San Francisco medical examiner says Tahir Sheikh Fakhar died in the crash early Monday...Tags: Transportation Accidents, Car Safety Tips and Advice, San Francisco
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A driving tour of Maryland's byways offers beauty, history and more
The fall colors may have peaked, with more leaves clinging to turf than trees, but it's still not too late for an autumn auto tour. Last month, the Federal Highway Administration designated four Maryland routes as America's Byways, placing them among the...Tags: Ellicott City, Colleges and Universities, Harriet Tubman, St. Mary's City, Chesapeake City
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Taking the scenic route
michelle.deal@baltsun.comThe fall colors may have peaked, with more leaves clinging to turf than trees, but it's still not too late for an autumn auto tour. Last month, the Federal Highway Administration designated four Maryland routes as America's Byways, placing them among...Tags: Colleges and Universities, Harriet Tubman, Wildlife, Johns Hopkins University, Local Elections
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