A viral photo posted online has drivers and leaders at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge doing a double take. The photo appears to show a support pier on the bridge out of alignment.
This photo posted to Facebook by user Jennifer Mansfield has produced thousands of comments and shares. She says her uncle first noticed a pier on the westbound span of the Bay Bridge looking off center.
Chopper 4 flew over that same pier and also got a good look.
Drivers are reacting to all of this. Among them is Brad Robinson, who crosses the Bay Bridge every day.
“I, as most people, I think, believe that our infrastructure needs work. But for the team they have at the bridge that’s full-time year round, I’m pretty sure they are keeping an eye on things,” he said.
Since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last year after it was struck by a container ship, there has been an intense spotlight cast on the Bay Bridge when it comes to safety. That’s why these images are drawing so much attention and concern. But Maryland leaders are stressing to the public that both spans of the Bay Bridge are safe.
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) sent us a statement saying: “MDTA inspected the pier and confirmed that there is no indication of movement or distress at the location. While the image of the pier cap appears off-center, the bridge girders — the key structural components supporting the span — are aligned and centered with the pier cap. Importantly, the positioning has not changed since the bridge’s construction.”
Still, for drivers like Eugene who don’t like to cross the bridge, none of this is soothing.
“I don’t like it at all. I don’t care for it. I don’t like to be up there like that,” he said.
The MDTA has been working with outside bridge experts to evaluate potential safety upgrades to the Bay Bridge, the News4 I-Team reported in March. The Bay Bridge did appear on a list of the most vulnerable bridges in the country when it comes to the potential for serious damage from a collision, like the one in Baltimore.
According to the MDTA, the Bay Bridge is inspected every year and is rated in “safe and satisfactory condition.”
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