It was rehabilitated in 1984, and it is currently being replaced by a UCEB.
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LC-HS503-2485
Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge connects southern Maryland and Virginia across the Potomac River |
The length is 10,050' and the longest span is 800'. "'Arch Cantilever' style cantilever through truss with Wichert deck truss approach spans." [BridgeHunter]
This is the only crossing of the Potomac south of Washington DC and it suffers daily congestion. They reduced the estimated cost from $1b to $765m "by building a bridge lower to the water over a deeper river channel about 100 feet north of the current span....The replacement bridge would be wide enough to accommodate four lanes of traffic — two in each direction — plus a pedestrian and bike path, officials said." The new bridge is a Maryland political football between the republican governor Hogan and the democratic state legislator. Hogan wants it built by 2023, the legislator wants to save $26m annually and open a bridge in 2030. Rahn, the Transportation Secretary, is waffling. He had said that the existing bridge could remain in service another 30 years. But now he is supporting the immediate replacement. Senator Middleton was for it, but Hogan did not invite him to the press conference that announced the $765m project. Maybe Hogan is trying to get his name on the new bridge. Hogan's timeline had construction beginning in 2020. [2016 article in the
BalitimoreSun]
Evidently Hogan's timeline is still accurate because the following photos show that construction has begun.
Poseidon Barge
posted four photos with the comment: "POSEIDON BARGE LTD - Picture of the Week: Owners Donnie Fain & Mary Habegger-Fox rewarded several shop employees with a jobsite visit last week. They visited our P10 Barge Platform at the Nice/Middleton Bridge Project in Maryland. The SCM (Skanska/Corman/McLean) Group were more than gracious to give the tour and show our team around. Poseidon Barge appreciated the hospitality and thank you for your business!"
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Ben Stalvey: Dang that must be one of the worlds biggest piledrivers. A 888 Ringer being used to drive piling. That is just remarkable really..... |
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Ben Stalvey: Wow how much weight is on that barge? That is amazing on a sectional barge |
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One of four photos posted by Poseidon Barge
Skanska uses their Poseidon P-10 barges to do some heavy lifting on a bridge project. |
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MTDA
Traffic peaked at 3.2 million in 1964. The following year, it dropped by a third following the opening of the Capital Beltway, which made it possible for southbound motorists to quickly travel around Washington, venture across the Potomac River, and continue south into Virginia |
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MTDA
[It is a toll bridge that accepts E-ZPass, the same payment system we use in the Chicagoland area.] |
In 2019, they got the estimated cost down to $463m by making it narrower. "Adding a bike path would cost $64m." I wondered why a bike path would cost so much. Then I read that they narrowed the shoulders from 10' to 2'. I can believe that effectively removing the shoulders in addition to getting rid of the bike path would reduce the price tag by $64m. I thought federal funding required wide shoulders. Narrow shoulders is one of the excuses used by Midwest DOTs to get rid of truss bridges. Then I learned that this bridge is funded as just a toll bridge. I find it hard to believe that a DOT would pass up federal funds. "It is expected to be in place for 100 years. The existing Nice-Middleton bridge will be demolished after construction is complete. The state declined to keep the old span in place as a bike and pedestrian crossing, and Charles County could not afford to take ownership of the old bridge and keep it up on its own. Instead, the state
argues bike riders will be
able to ride with U.S. 301 traffic on the new bridge despite highway speeds." [
WTOP]
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Maryland Transportation Authority via WTOP
[This May 2014 photo shows that money was spent on a bridge that is soon to be destroyed.] |
As we have come to expect, the replacement is a UCEB (Ugly Concrete Eyesore Bridge).
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MTDA-home
- Double the vehicle capacity with four 12-foot-wide lanes, replacing the old bridge’s two 11-foot-wide lanes
- Improve safety by installing a barrier-separated median between east- and westbound lanes, adding two-foot shoulders and other improvements that meet current safety standards
- Eliminate lane-shifting safety issues at toll booths by replacing them with all-electronic tolling
- Enable tall ships to pass beneath its 135-foot clearance
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It does look like they are taking advantage of the almost two mile length of the bridge to lower the grades up to the shipping lane spans.
It appears that the girders are steel instead of concrete.
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Digitally Zoomed
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