Dive Brief:
- Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced a $5 million, 4-year study as a "first step" in building a third bridge span over the Chesapeake Bay, the Washington Business Journal reported.
- Advocates of the bridge plan said it will alleviate traffic on the existing Chesapeake Bay Bridge, which, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation, could be the source of 13-mile traffic jams by 2040.
- The study, which is required if the project wants to apply for federal dollars, will look at financing options, environmental impact and possible locations for the new bridge. According to The Baltimore Sun, a new span could cost nearly $7 billion.
Dive Insight:
The existing bridge spans can be maintained as is for 50 years with MDOT-mandated improvements required by 2065, when the eastbound span is 113 years old and the westbound span is 92, according to the Business Journal.
Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Commission launched its own Chesapeake Bay-related project last month when it announced that it had awarded Dragados USA a $756 million contract to build a 17.6-mile tunnel that will connect Virginia Beach, VA, with the state's Eastern Shore and run parallel to an existing tunnel. The five-year project is slated to begin in October 2017 and will use a tunnel boring machine.
Coincidentally, Dragados is part of the Alaskan Way Viaduct tunnel replacement project in Seattle, which has run into delays and incurred cost overruns, mostly due to the breakdown of and other problems related to the project's TBM, dubbed "Bertha." The company is a member of the joint venture Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) with Tutor Perini.
Dragados is also involved with the $930 million Harbor Bridge replacement in Corpus Christi, TX. When complete, it will be the longest precast concrete cable-stayed bridge in the U.S. and will feature six lanes with shoulders, a pedestrian walkway and the clearance to accommodate post-Panamax ships. The shipping lane will remain open during construction because contractor Flatiron/Dragados is using precast concrete.