wiper
Member
- Apr 14, 2021
- 14
I live on the Broadneck Peninsula next to the Bay Bridge, so I have me finger on the pulse of Rt 50 traffic. The traffic has gotten much worse since the toll booths were taken out. Before, I theorize, you had 4 lanes slowing into ever how many toll plazas were open, then merging slowly into 2-3 lanes on the bridge. Now it's 3 lanes of traffic having to merge all of a sudden to 2-3 lanes (one lane having to slow to get onto the single lane west-bound span). Whenever you have freeway traffic having to slow down to merge into fewer lanes it will be a mess.
Ocean City is the second largest city in Maryland during the summer. The bridge’s traffic capacity is 1,500 vehicles per lane, per hour under perfect conditions. On summer Friday’s, about 60,000 vehicles head towards the ocean, mostly during daylight hours, do the math. This problem has been baked into the design since day one and will never go away without additional infrastructure. But hey, we can trust our politicians to fix this, right?
No, it was NOT baked into the design since day one. The bridge opened in 1954 or there abouts. There was a small FRACTION of beach goers at that time. Fast forward 66 years with no real improvement (other than a parallel) there lies the problem. There was no real SERIOUS problem until the 70's or later.
Going through Cambridge and Trappe was a bigger headache.
Calvert Co to Dorcester bridge has been the logical choice but locals on both sides don't want it. (I don't blame them but.........)
I live on the Broadneck Peninsula next to the Bay Bridge, so I have me finger on the pulse of Rt 50 traffic. The traffic has gotten much worse since the toll booths were taken out. Before, I theorize, you had 4 lanes slowing into ever how many toll plazas were open, then merging slowly into 2-3 lanes on the bridge. Now it's 3 lanes of traffic having to merge all of a sudden to 2-3 lanes (one lane having to slow to get onto the single lane west-bound span). Whenever you have freeway traffic having to slow down to merge into fewer lanes it will be a mess.
We must be neighbors and i feel like some one is making this as painful as possible (ala bridge gate in NJ) so the cries that, "Something must be done." Are heard loud and clear, far and wide.
The old Kent Narrows draw bridge was the worst.
Can't wait until they build the new third parallel span of the Bay Bridge and even MORE traffic will be shoe-horned into the narrow lanes before and after the bridges. What fun!
Why not put one further south so all those No. Va. and DC folks don't have to drive 60 miles north just to go 60 miles south again????