Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge

The Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge carries Interstate 95 (I-95) over the Susquehanna River between Cecil County and Harford County, Maryland. The toll bridge carries 29 million vehicles annually.[2] It is upstream from the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, which carries the parallel U.S. Route 40 (US 40).

Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge
View of the north side of the bridge from the east bank in 2015
Coordinates39°34′52″N 76°06′14″W
Carries6 lanes of I-95
CrossesSusquehanna River
LocaleHavre de Grace, Maryland and Perryville, Maryland
Official nameThe Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge
Maintained byMaryland Transportation Authority
ID number300000H-X907010
Characteristics
DesignSteel Truss – Deck
Total length1,542.6 metres (5,061 ft)
Width25 metres (82 ft)
Clearance below27.4 metres (90 ft)
History
Opened1963 (1963)
Statistics
Daily traffic74275 (in 2001)
Toll$8.00 (northbound) (Maryland E-ZPass $6.00[1])
Location

The bridge is named for Millard Tydings (1890–1961), a longtime political figure in Maryland who served as U.S. Senator from 1927 to 1951. It was built between January 1962 and November 1963 between bluffs high above the river valley, and is posted with warning signs "Subject to Crosswinds."[3][4] It was dedicated, along with the highway it carries, by U.S. president John F. Kennedy on November 14, eight days before he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The next year, the highway was renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

It is one of eight toll facilities operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority. The toll, levied on northbound traffic only, is $8.00 for two-axle vehicles as of July 1, 2013; larger vehicles pay another $8 per additional axle. In March 2020, the remaining toll collectors were replaced with electronic tolling because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with tolls payable through E-ZPass or Video Tolling, which uses automatic license plate recognition. All-electronic tolling was made permanent in August 2020.[5]

The bridge was closed during Hurricane Sandy on October 30, 2012, perhaps the first time it was ever shut down.[6]

See also

References

  1. "MdTA Toll Rates: John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway". Maryland Transportation Authority. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  2. Maryland Transportation Authority
  3. DanTD (October 15, 2018). NB Millard Tydings Bridge; Subject to Crosswinds (photograph). Retrieved December 13, 2018. {{cite AV media}}: External link in |people= (help)
  4. DanTD (October 26, 2018). SB Millard Tydings Bridge; Subject to Crosswinds (photograph). Retrieved December 13, 2018. {{cite AV media}}: External link in |people= (help)
  5. "All-Electronic Tolling Now Permanent at All MDTA Facilities Statewide in Maryland". Salisbury, MD: WBOC-TV. August 6, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
  6. "Md. governor: Bay Bridge closing to traffic". AP via SFGate. October 29, 2012. Retrieved October 31, 2012.

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