Tips for Traveling Over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Travelers headed to Ocean City, Maryland or the Delaware beaches from the Washington Metropolitan area are almost certain to include a ride over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in their trip. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, begun in 1949, provides a necessary connection between the eastern and western shores of Maryland and the quickest and easiest route across the Chesapeake Bay. Today, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge continues to undergo renovations and improvements to help with problems related to the effects of time and the increased traffic that it sees each year. Handling the Chesapeake Bay Bridge traffic has become a central component to planning a summer vacation to Ocean City and the Delaware beaches.

The best advice, and the advice my family has often found to be the most helpful when traveling over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, is to go early and stay late. Traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge has peak times, just like most other traffic. Don't try to head to the beach on a Friday afternoon at 4 PM without planning to sit in some traffic at the toll booths. Traffic often begins before the Severn River Bridge, miles before the toll booths and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge come into sight. Instead of fighting the crowds, take some advice from the Maryland Transportation Authority and leave early in the morning, before the traffic starts, and stay late into the evenings, once it's died down for the night.