Engineering Feats [Family Fun]

What Do You Know About the Bay Bridge?

Maryland’s scenic Bay Bridge is truly one of the most remarkable engineering feats of the last century. Here are some engineering “Facts and Feats” regarding the bridge:

• The eastbound and westbound spans contain seven different bridge-structure types, including concrete beams, steel beams/girders, continuous steel girders, steel deck truss, deck cantilever, through truss, and suspension.
• When the Bay Bridge’s original span opened in July 1952, its 4.3 miles made it the world’s third longest bridge, as well as the world’s longest continuous over-water steel structure.
• Several superstructure sections of the bridge were built on barges and floated into place.
• During construction of the two spans, more than 3.3 million cubic yards of earth were moved, and 126,100 tons of steel and 286,000 cubic yards of concrete were used; reinforced concrete piers supported on steel piles were driven hundreds of feet below the Bay’s surface.
• The suspension towers for the eastbound and westbound spans rise 354 feet and 379 feet (respectively) above the water; the driving surface of the eastbound span is 186 feet above the Bay, while the westbound span’s is 200 feet above the Bay.
• Crews building the bridge’s original span used a pre-cellular mobile phone system based on transmitters located at Sandy Point and on tug boats, derricks, diggers, pile drivers and utility boats.

To find out more about Bay Bridge history, click here. To see pictures of the Bay Bridge, click here.

How Maryland Made Its Mark