Aug 12, 2008 8:40 pm US/Eastern
WJZ Viewers Share Concerns About Crossing Bridges
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
"The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is NOT dangerous - the people who drive the Chesapeake Bay bridge ARE dangerous. Had the young woman not fallen asleep, the truck would never have had to swerve out of her way and go over the side of the bridge." -- Elizabeth Sensabaugh
"I live in Queen Anne's County and travel the Bay Bridge 5 days a week to get to my place of work in Annapolis. I agree the bridge is completely safe structurally but the big problem with the bridge is that there are no shoulders on the bridge on either span. This alone would allow for some kind of protection, not much but something in case of an oncoming car veers into your lane. I think they made a huge mistake when they built the 2nd span without shoulder lanes. It is a total nightmare when there is a disabled vehicle or accident as traffic comes to a standstill on both the eastern and western approaches. While I will never see anything built before I retire I sure hope they do something soon before more people are killed." -- J. Guy, Queenstown, Md.
"I have driven over the bridge frequently since moving to the Eastern Shore in 1982, more than 15 years ago. At one time I was commuting 5 days a week to the District of Columbia, plus other trips for that might take me to the western shore. I'm not afraid of bridges in general, and have always enjoyed the trip across the bridge for the vistas it offers. I've also participated in the bridge walk several times, crossing the eastbound span on foot. However, I think crossing the bridge with opposing traffic, whether that means one lane eastbound on the westbound span or, heaven forbid, two-way traffic on the narrow eastbound span, is one of the most dangerous situations I've ever faced on a highway. I do my best to avoid it, but sometimes it is unavoidable, particularly if I'm "caught" on the western shore in the evening when that is the only choice to get home. There is simply no room for error and no place to go if someone, whether through inattention, drowsiness, illness, or simple driver error, crosses into the opposing lane. The most horrific accidents I've heard of have occurred when opposing traffic is in place on the bridge. And because all of us behind the wheel are human and therefore prone to error, the odds of this kind of thing happening again are too high to be acceptable. There has to be some better way, particularly late at night, of avoiding two-way traffic on that narrow and totally unforgiving roadway. Perhaps it might be an inconvenience and slow down the bridge deck repairs to some degree, but I think it would be more than balanced by improved public safety if they kept one lane open on the westbound span and did repair work on the other two. I've always been curious as to why the method of replacing the bridge decking changed so much from the very efficient, cost effective method utilized by the contractor who completed the same work on the eastbound span. I recall it very well -- the contractor set up a plant at the western end of the bridge and prefabricated sections of decking, which were then hauled out and dropped into place. The work was completed under budget and ahead of schedule, and appears to be holding up well. But for the westbound span we've had this seemingly interminable 'repair in place' method which involves pouring the decking on site -- and then having to dig a good portion of it up and replace it when the material was found defective -- and seems to require closing the entire span overnight during the week." -- WJZ viewer, Queen Anne's County
"What I was horrified to learn from the weekend accident on the Bay Bridge is that apparently there is no security camera surveillance on those Chesapeake spans or the approaches to the spans. Over and above the traffic safety issues, one would assume that Homeland Security would have long ago taken measures to assure that this extremely important artery is secure. The driver who caused the accident was apparently impaired by lack of adequate rest, and the driver of the truck was likely speeding. Both of those showed a lack of judgement. Had there been notice that this facility is under continuous video surveillance for purposes of security and safety enforcement, it is unlikely that the trucker would have been exceeding the speed limit which should have been no higher than 40 mph under those conditions. The severity of the accident could have possibly been contained. Further it seemed clear that the response level of the MDOT is inadequate. Giving folks the option of driving hundreds of extra miles simply isn't adequate. I was further amazed that the bridge toll booths remained in operation to add insult to injury of those whose gas budgets were severely dented while parked for hours in the queue. I was returning to Delaware and joined the leftmost eastbound lane at the beginning of the backup in Annapolis anticipating that would move fairly well as it serves the EZ Pass auto toll collection and the second lane serving eastbound traffic had just been opened up. Unfortunately, Maryland has not seen its way to successfully restrict the use of the dedicated EZ Pass lane as there was no one ahead of me for the final 1/4 mile into the booth other than drivers of vehicles who ignored the restriction notice and then were bumping into the traffic waiting at the toll booths snarling up the access to the auto booth for those with EZ Passes. While this experience was one we would have all been well to avoid especially the trucker whose life is over, there is much to be learned and hopefully Maryland will improve its management of this facility." -- J.B. O'Neill
"I have many feeling about driving over the bridge. I live on the Eastern Shore and work in Annapolis, so like many I am forced to travel the bridge everyday. Everyday I wonder what I am going to encounter going across. It's stressful and at times scary but it's what I have to do to support my kids. My heart goes out to the driver of the truck, and it angers me that people take life for granted and the bridge for granted. I personally don't think two-way traffic is the blame. There is two-way traffic everywhere. What is lacking is speed control and consideration for others on the roads! Suing the state is not going to bring that truck driver back to his family! Everybody is in a hurry to go nowhere and don't take anybody else's safety seriously. Unfortunately, those feelings will never go away because we are always gonna have someone in a hurry to go the beach or get home and they will not have time to think about someone else's, mother, father, sister or brother!! Have more police presence on the bridge... not at either end of the bridge but on the bridge at all times! I'm sure that would deter someone from speeding and weaving on the bridge." -- Andrea Seals
"Let's slow the speed limit down on the bridge for everyone, at 45mph. Put up radar cameras on the bridge and pull them over on both land sides with a ticket -- no warning. Also make all tractor trailers use the right hand lane only. Give tickets out for tail-gaters. Put up lamp pole lighting that would help travelers to see much better. It all sounds good but the governor will not do any of it. He is a talker on issues." -- Frank Mills
"Most people are intimidated by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. With that being said, I believe that there should not be two-way traffic on one span of the bridge. It's just not safe and for many reasons. #1) There are no street lights lighting the roadway. #2) In the event that a vehicle has some type of malfunction or emergency there is no shoulder for the disabled vehicle to pull over to safely; the malfunction could cause that vehicle to disrupt oncoming traffic. #3) In the event of accident, two-way traffic can make it more difficult for law enforcement and other emergency personnel to respond to the incident. After last year's fatal accident claiming the lives of two fire fighters from the Eastern Shore, I thought for sure that two-way traffic would be discontinued, but I was wrong unfortunately. Frequently I travel across the bay bridge to visit my family on the eastern shore and now I am very skeptical about traveling across the bridge." -- Sonya Dean
"In response to your inquires on the bay bridge, I have lived all of my life in Queen Anne's County and have been actively involved in both the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department and a paramedic in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and with all honesty can say that every motor vehicle collision that I was personally involved with involving a fatality on the bridge was a direct result of traffic going both east and west bound on the bridge. By now the MVA MUST know just how dangerous of a condition it is to have traffic flowing both east and west bound." -- Ray Cullison, Chestertown, Md.
"It's very tragic what happened last Sunday. And people are saying it was because of the two-way traffic pattern that caused this incident. It may have. But have you ever driven on the Potomac River Bridge on Rte. 301? It's like that EVERYDAY!" -- Marc Edmunds"I have many feeling about driving over the bridge. I live on the Eastern Shore and work in Annapolis, so like many I am forced to travel the bridge everyday. Everyday I wonder what I am going to encounter going across. It's stressful and at times scary but it's what I have to do to support my kids. My heart goes out to the driver of the truck, and it angers me that people take life for granted and the bridge for granted. I personally don't think two-way traffic is the blame. There is two-way traffic everywhere. What is lacking is speed control and consideration for others on the roads! Suing the state is not going to bring that truck driver back to his family! Everybody is in a hurry to go nowhere and don't take anybody else's safety seriously. Unfortunately, those feelings will never go away because we are always gonna have someone in a hurry to go the beach or get home and they will not have time to think about someone else's, mother, father, sister or brother!! Have more police presence on the bridge... not at either end of the bridge but on the bridge at all times! I'm sure that would deter someone from speeding and weaving on the bridge." -- Andrea Seals "L"Most people are intimidated by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. With that being said, I believe that there should not be two-way traffic on one span of the bridge. It's just not safe and for many reasons. #1) There are no street lights lighting the roadway. #2) In the event that a vehicle has some type of malfunction or emergency there is no shoulder for the disabled vehicle to pull over to safely; the malfunction could cause that vehicle to disrupt oncoming traffic. #3) In the event of accident, two-way traffic can make it more difficult for law enforcement and other emergency personnel to respond to the incident. After last year's fatal accident claiming the lives of two fire fighters from the Eastern Shore, I thought for sure that two-way traffic would be discontinued, but I was wrong unfortunately. Frequently I travel across the bay bridge to visit my family on the eastern shore and now I am very skeptical about traveling across the bridge." -- Sonya Dean"In response to your inquires on the bay bridge, I have lived all of my life in Queen Anne's County and have been actively involved in both the Kent Island Volunteer Fire Department and a paramedic in the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and with all honesty can say that every motor vehicle collision that I was personally involved with involving a fatality on the bridge was a direct result of traffic going both east and west bound on the bridge. By now the MVA MUST know just how dangerous of a condition it is to have traffic flowing both east and west bound." -- Ray Cullison, Chestertown, Md."It's very tragic what happened last Sunday. And people are saying it was because of the two-way traffic pattern that caused this incident. It may have. But have you ever driven on the Potomac River Bridge on Rte. 301? It's like that EVERYDAY!" -- Marc Edmunds "While we all know that driving on the bay bridge can be dangerous and scary, but if we all drive like we have good sense and responsibly, it is safe. If we discontinue the two way traffic on one span, it would lead to horrible back-ups, and I think that if all drivers are paying attention, no text message, no phone calling, etc. And drive with ample space between the car in front and by all means go slowly, we would all get over just fine. It is such a terrible thing that happened on Sunday. We feel really sorry for the driver/drivers and for Mr Short and his family. I also think that cbs should not run the commercial so often about the Bay Bridge, I think about the family members that see and hear that and it must be awful. Maybe the station could run it a lot less if at all. Thank you." -- Gerri Miller
"The bridge going eastbound is too small to have two way traffic. Why even take that chance. Truck drivers are not always at fault here. there are a lot of people in cars that cause these accidents after drinking and automatically the truck driver is at fault for lack of sleep. Stop and think on this bridge daily how many people cross it and have lack of rest. Hundreds..also the ones that are at the bars there drinking and driving that bridge after being at the Jetty or the red eye . It's not always the truck driver's fault. I understand the restrictions for truck drivers I have been in that business all my life and I know the rules but honestly at that time in the morning who's to say that that person that crossed the line into his lane was not at the bar drinking and driving home. At that time of the morning state police should be more on the look out for people crossing that bridge after being at the bars as much as that look at truck drivers crossing. I have traveled this bridge many times both in car and in tractor trailer with my husband and father and seen a lot of people almost causing accidents while we are in the truck by not paying attention, being on cell phones handling kids or just not paying attention. This is something we all should not take lightly is the traveling of this beautiful bridge it is a responsibility of us to pay better attention to what we are doing while driving this bridge then anything else some serious accidents could happen more often if not done." -- Shawna Jarrell
"The only concern I have are the drivers who think they can drive at high rates of speed across the bridge. This scares the heck out of me.These drivers are unsafe and ignorant. This is how accidents happen!!! Why must they be in such a hurry as to risk everyones lives? Just slow down enjoy the view and save a life. Maybe the Bay Bridge police should do more speed enforcement. Thank you very much for your time and listening to my concerns." -- Sincerely, Brian, Katrina and our daughter Kethry Miller
"The issue of the safety has always been on my mind. Long, long ago I wondered how those Jersey walls were gong to stop a car, much less a big rig! The government and states always wait til something horrible happens before they act on things the public knows in there hearts! the The hurt people should sue the state and government for allowing these things to go unheeded! It seems the only thing that stops these stupid things is money! SUE! SUE! SUE!" -- WJZ Viewer
"I NEVER drive over the bay bridge, I will go as far out of my way to prevent it. The thought of going over the side is too much for me." -- Suzanne Dean
"I travel the bridge almost every day and the only problems I see on a regular basis is speeding trucks and cars (over) 65 mph. and weaving in and out . Two way traffic is an every day task. I don't believe these walls are designed to hold back a 50000 lb rig." -- Lester Houseley
"I think that when it is two-way traffic on one bridge that they should lower the speed limit to 40 mph. It is very dangerous, we drive it all the time early in the morning." -- Jimmy & Debbie
"The first bay bridge went up somewhere in the 1950's, the second bridge went up in late 1960's or early 70's, there have been serious accidents with all types of vehicles. Now, someone finally went into the water, now we ask, is the bridge and jersey walls safe? Do you people really believe this or are you looking to further dramatize the situation." -- Al Skirvanis
"Two-way traffic in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel is more nerve racking Than Bay Bridge two-way. You would not have time to say your prayers in a BHT smashup. At least on the Bay Bridge you could say your prayers on the way down. That's not the first time a tractor trailer has gone over a jersey wall. Trucks have taller tires plus the angle and speed the truck hits the will make it go over almost everytime. I'm surprised more trucks aren't going over jersey walls." -- Glen Hartsock
"On Sunday morning, I was driving over the bridge around 3:15 a.m. on my way to work. There, by the grace of God, I was spared. While it is a bit haunting now, I still love driving over the Bay Bridge. Without Md. Transportation having the ability to manage the lanes, traffic would become unbearable, as we found in the aftermath of this accident. As unfortunate as this situation was, it was an accident, and it was unusual. My prayers go out to the individuals involved and their families." --WJZ Viewer
"Everyone's on a cell phone." --Roberta Ross
"I have driven the Bay Bridge six days a week for over 10 years. Just recently, I started leaving my house on Kent Island around 3 a.m. I am not afraid to drive on the bridge; in fact, I very much enjoy it. The recent accident was horrifying, as is any accident that occurs on the bridge. God bless the individual who died and those who were injured, but this was an accident and unfortunately, there will be more. Considering the horrendous traffic jams, our state and local officials should look at this as a sign to find ways to better manage traffic, such as building a new bridge. Because for those of us who live on the Eastern Shore and work on the Western Shore, there's no way home when we face bridge closure or reduced lanes. Eliminating two-way traffic on the spans will only cause more hardship and frustration." --Diane
"A good friend of mine bought a home on Kent Island five years ago. Because of my fear of the Bay Bridge, I have not seen the home. I am phobic and the Bay Bridge is tall, it turns and it's long. Way too scary!" --Sammy Carr
"I believe tractor trailer speed limits should be 35 miles per hour and 45 miles per hour for cars. Being a tractor trailer driver myself, this helps create safety with other drivers on the road. My prayers go out to the families." --Derek
"I was headed east on the westbound span when it was open to two-way traffic. A pickup truck started to tailgate me and flash its lights. I was doing the speed limit. Just where did he expect me to go? The more he flashed, the slower I went. He finally got the message and backed off, but I vowed never to use the one lane going east again." --Rose
"Everyone is making such a big deal about the two way traffic and the cause of the accident was a driver falling asleep. I travel every day over the Bay Bridge and if they stop the two-way traffic, everyone would be complaining about the delays. It was an accident and sometimes accidents cannot be prevented. I think everyone is reading too much into this tragedy." --Stephanie
"Why can't Maryland use money from the Lottery and Keno and Bay Bridge toll to make another bridge separate from the present bridge? There is a lot of money out there, but it has to be in the right hands of those who would consider another bridge." --Lynn
"Common sense should prevail. There are no shoulders on the bridges. Two-way traffic should not be allowed. I have thought that for years. Also, the grates on the westbound side need to be straddled or you can lose control of your car. I'm not the only one with this opinion." --Joan
"I live on Kent Island and I hate to cross the bridge, period. I never know if I will get home when I need or if I will get home at all. I also hate the two-way traffic; the cars and trucks, etc. are so close to you that you do not have a place to go if they cross the line. I pray each time I go over the bridge with my kids that I will get home okay. I did not want Kent Island to be now known for having such another horrific accident on the Bay Bridge." --Kim
"My question is, why does there always have to be a deadly accident on bridges and roadways before our `decision makers' think of a better way to route traffic or to keep traffic moving? My guess is it's because they have other ways, they just do not want to spend the money to do it." --Brian
"I'm realizing that people share my fear of two-way traffic also. I am a junior at Salisbury University and I cross the Bay Bridge several times a month. I am outraged that after several fatal accidents, the MVA still allows two-way traffic. During one instance, I was driving back to Baltimore and got to the Bay Bridge at 10 p.m. and they had two-way traffic on the eastbound side. I felt extremely unsafe driving in that close of space in the dark, especially after seeing that this accident was due to a driver suffering from fatigue. I also have an EZPass and when you go throguh the two left toll lanes, you're forced to go against oncoming traffic when they have two-way set up. They say that these are `freak accidents' and `unusual,' but yet, back in May of '07, there were three people killed on the westbound side. Once again, there was two-way traffic! You think that they would realize the risk and danger in doing this." --Jennifer
"Back in December, we were returning to the Eastern Shore after attending a Christmas party. It was close to 10 p.m. and there was two-way traffic on the eastbound span of the bridge. Two tractor trailers went past us going westbound and they were going so fast, it scared us. I sent an email to MDTA and told them that they needed to slow the trucks down before there was a bad accident and if you think about the scenario, it could be fatal. I was informed that the speed limit is 45 during construction and 40 during two-way operations. They said they would forward my email to the bridge's facility administrator and the police detachment commander for their information and review." --Paula
"Just this past Wednesday night, I was coming home from work at 11 p.m. So many trucks were rolling down the eastbound span in two-way traffic that I had a small panic attack. I thought if someone messes up just a little, I'm a goner and four days later, it happens. It's russian roulette with cars." --Joe
"I am 49 and have traveled the bridge since I was little. People need to remember that the two-lane bridge is the original bridge. I have a fear of heights and am always troubled when I travel over it. This is not a typical accident and I do not know of any other accident that ever led to a vehicle going off the bridge. I believe the barriers are sufficient if other measures are taken if the traffic needs to travel both ways. Slow down the speed. Put speed cameras or additional officers on patrol during this time frame or even add barriers between the lanes to ensure a separation of the traffic for either the two-lane or three-lane bridge. This would also keep the changing lanes down. Had there been some type of barrier between them, a person could not cross between the lanes and an accident can be avoided. Like on Rt. 70, it can be a wire rail that would have breaks in the event of lane issues if full barriers are not possible. But remember, it is still up to the individual to drive safely and use caution and common sense." --Steve
"I do not fear bridges or tunnels but there are alternatives to getting to the Eastern Shore for those who do." --Preston
"I've traveled the Bay Bridge every day for the last 25 years. I live on the Eastern Shore and work in Columbia. I am not crazy about two-way traffic on the bridge, but you learn to cope with it. Reduce your speed and pace your space. Just this morning after the tragic accident, just to keep up with traffic at 5:30 in the morning. I had to keep my speed at 65mph or I would have been rear-ended. I have watched cars change from one lane to the next at speeds of at least 75mph. Out of state people are in such a hurry to get to OC. My question is, where are the police? I have followed state police, Queen Anne's County Police and Anne Arundel County Police over the bridge and going the same rate of speed, not doing a darn thing. Maybe you need to police the bridge a little more and slap some hefty fines on the speeders." --Denise
"At least three days a week, I drive Maryland's highways. While driving from Sykesville to Frederick, Rockville, Easton and Baltimore, I see the same problem. Our state and county police forces simply do not enforce the traffic laws. At any time of the day, traffic on 170 or 97 or 100 or Rt. 50 or 795 or 695 will run at speeds 15 to 20 miles per hour above the posted speed limit. During rush hour, it is not unusual for traffic on MD 140 between Reisterstown and Westminister to run at 70 mph. This is a 50/55 mph road with at-grade crossings. Is it any wonder there have been some horrific accidents? How come the governor of New Jersey was chastised for not wearing his seatbelt but almost nothing was said about the reported fact that his vehicle was traveling at 90 mph on a highway with a posted speed limit of 55 mph? People die on our highways because of speed and aggressive driving and our police don't seem to be able to do anything about it." --Bernie
"Have had several discussions with many `older' drivers the past few months about the total lack of `road smarts' in the current crop of drivers. The constant lane changing without using turn signals, failure to check their mirrors to make sure they leave adequate clearance behind them before pulling back in front of the vehicle they just passed or hitting the brakes after pulling back in line, excessive speed, inability to maintain proper speed, tailgateing and finally either on the phone or texting someone. It is no wonder teat we have more accidents, since most of the drivers are oblivious to their surroundings. Suggest that the speed limit on the bridge when bi-directional activities are occuring be lowered to 45 mph and enforced with large dollar fines for exceeding that speed." --Walt
"It's sad that the truck driver lost his life because he was more concerned about the person who fell asleep behind the wheel than his own safety. I have a friend who is here today because he didn't swerve to miss a drunk driver on the wrong side of the highway. He realized it was either going to be him or the drunk driver. He also drives a tractor trailer, and many times if they swerve to avoid hitting something they are seriously injured or killed. That girl is going to have to live with the fact that her carelessness caused someone to lose their life. I believe the bridge is very safe structurally, however, the construction was not well planned. Like many have already said, there is no room for human error. When you are on that bridge, if something happens, there is nowhere for you to go in order to avoid an accident. Therefore you are at the mercy of other drivers sort of like a sitting duck. I am from the eastern shore and I travel back and forth frequently. Luckily I have not had any problems. This incident makes me wonder how safe I really am on that bridge. I see people do some crazy things on that bridge and I am like hello people we are suspended hundreds of feet in the air over the ocean, calm down. I hope this tragedy teaches us all to be more cautious while on the road and to think of other drivers. My heart goes out to his family." --Tobie
"First of all I hate to drive high bridges. I drove the Bay Bridge twice in my 56 years of driving and I was terrified. I had to go to BWI airport and had no other way to go but over the bridge from Ocean City. The traffic was so bad and the big trucks were right on my bumper passing when they could so fast it shook my car. It was a relief to get off and it left me shaking. I was really terrified when I had to come back over the bridge to get home, a piggy back tractor trailer stayed on my bumper all the way over, I watched him in my mirror and he laughed all the way. I had a small compact car and that made it worse." --Lee
"As a citizen of Kent Island- Romancoke -the bay bridge seems totally mismanaged. Many people on the Island call the bridge people in charge "bay bridge idiots" or "dumb and dumber". We consider it to be the worst department of our State Government. We never know what they are going to do with traffic. Haven't they learned their lesson about two way traffic from the accidents over the years? First of all, there needs to be some way to have the speed reduced when it is two way traffic. Second, have they not noticed that Thursday is a busier Ocean City travel day then Friday and that they should open the third lane east bound earlier? We never know when the lanes are closed or when construction is happening. Why can't they have signs to announce this at the bridge? We just need to know what is happening at the bridge. This does not mean a small article in the local newspapers. One big thing is to have control of the speed limit, but it seems there is no way it can be done now. Many times we have been going across the bridge and there have been incidents and no police were to be found." --Tom
"In regards to the bay bridge, I drive the bay bridge every day. I live on the eastern shore and work in Annapolis. My concerns developed when the accident claimed 2 lives last year and I was stuck in traffic. My kids go to daycare on the eastern shore and I couldn't get to them in time because the bridge was shut down. Because of that I ended up on medication because of panic attacks and this was the only way I would be able to cross the bridge to get to work everyday. Then when this accident happened and the tractor trailer ended up in the bay its absolutely horrifying. Not only do they need to stop the two way traffic, people that are driving on the bridge, need to stop being in a hurry to go nowhere. Nobody these days are paying attention and have a lot of road rage. Something needs to be done with the construction of the bridge and needs to be done soon so the traffic and back ups can be resolved!"
--WJZ Viewer
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