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, 6-8 p.m.
Anne Arundel County Open House
Monday, December 9, 2024, 6-8 p.m.
Broadneck High School
1265 Green Holly Drive, Annapolis, MD 21409
Queen Anne’s County Open House
Wednesday, December 11, 2024, 6-8 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 your 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 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.
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.