Maryland Transportation officials are moving forward with a plan for cyclists to cross the new Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas ‘Mac’ Middleton Bridge.
This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
Maryland Transportation officials are moving forward with a plan for cyclists to cross the new Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas ‘Mac’ Middleton Bridge.
Limited access to the bridge, similar to that of the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, left cycling advocates frustrated. Eric Brenner, past chair of the Maryland Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee, expressed disappointment in the final plan. He said few good options remained after state transportation officials under then-Gov. Larry Hogan (R) failed to build a new Potomac River crossing that incorporated bike and pedestrian access.
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“The Nice Bridge stuff was a can’t-win situation the way it was set up,” Brenner said.
“I’m reluctant to even beat them up too much for what they decided to do,” he added, speaking of the Department of Transportation under Hogan’s successor Gov. Wes Moore (D).
The Maryland Transportation Authority announced that cyclists will be able to cross the Potomac using the span — which connects Charles County, Md. to King George County, Va. — on weekends and holidays. The announcement followed a public comment period that ended May 10.
The agency released no statement with the announcement. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In May, the agency, in an unattributed statement said: “Public input and safety of bicyclists and motorists are paramount.”
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The agency received dozens of comments taking up 19 pages in a summary. Many were critical of the plan.
“This is the dumbest, unsafest design I could possibly imagine. I’d be safer swimming with my bike,” said one commenter whose name the agency redacted.
“I don’t think there should be any bicycles allowed to cross the bridge. It would affect the flow of traffic from the nice flow we’ve seen since the new bridge opened. Major highways are meant to move traffic, it’s not meant to be a scenic leisurely drive,” according to another comment taken from an online survey by the agency.
There were a few positive comments.
“I would ride over any day of the week excluding commuting times and high traffic times. I think the signs directing drivers to move into the left lane when they encounter a cyclist would help motorists to not be held up by cyclists,” according to a comment left during an April 26 public meeting on the plan.
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The new four-lane, 1.7-mile bridge opened in October. It replaced a 75-year old, two-lane span along Route 301.
Aerial footage shows the new Nice/Middleton Bridge, on the right, and the current, 80-year-old span, on the left. (Courtesy Maryland Transportation Authority)
The Maryland Transportation Authority, which operates the toll bridge, announced Tuesday that limited bike access would be allowed over the new span.
The plan, which goes into effect June 10, will allow cyclists full use of the far-right travel lanes on both the north and the south bound sides of the bridge. Cyclists would push a button as they enter the bridge, triggering flashing lights to alert motorists of their presence.
The warning system would operate for 10-15 minutes to allow a crossing. The cyclist would continue to share the 12-foot-wide lane with motor vehicles.
The crossing is restricted to cyclists who are 18 or older or who hold a valid driver’s license. Access is restricted to dawn to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to dusk on Saturdays; dawn to noon and 6 p.m. to dusk on Sundays; and dawn to dusk on state holidays.
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This plan allowing cyclists to cross the Potomac River is similar to the system allowing cyclists to cross the Susquehanna River using the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge. That 1.3-mile toll bridge connecting Havre de Grace to Cecil County was the first in Maryland to allow bike access.
Originally, cyclists had limited daily access on the Hatem Bridge. Later, that access was reduced to weekends and state holidays from dawn to dusk.
“It’s very light use and it’s intentionally meant to discourage people from using it,” Brenner said of the Hatem Bridge.
“They’re making the best of a bad situation but to say that this is the model to go after for the new bridge was just a huge stretch for them to make,” Brenner said. “I think even they know that this is just a terrible option but it’s easy enough to say we’re already doing on the Hatem Bridge, so we’ll do it on the Nice Bridge.”
The new crossing replaces the original two-lane bridge which was steep, narrow and lacked a shoulder or barrier separating northbound and southbound lanes.
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Hogan and state transportation officials deemed that aging structure too old to be rehabilitated. Hogan and his transportation secretary Pete Rahn initially promised a modern crossing that would include space for bike and pedestrian access.
Those plans fell by the wayside. Advocates hoped transportation officials would keep the aging structure for bicycle and pedestrian use. The effort to save the older structure landed in federal court where a judge ruled in favor of allowing the state to move forward with plans to raze the bridge. That left few options for cyclists.
“That’s the crime of the missed opportunity of the Nice Bridge,” said Brenner. “You had this thing already there and took it away.”
Brenner said recently appointed transportation secretary Paul Wiedefeld and his department “were handed this hot potato. They hated it. They’re not happy, so wrap it up move on.”
This article was written by WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters and republished with permission. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Michigan State has an excellent chance to make a strong statement this weekend that the rebuilding job under new head coach Jonathan Smith is ahead of schedule, if the Spartans can take down 8-point favorite Maryland on Saturday.
A Michigan State victory would be a strong statement within the football industry, but maybe not as strong from a fan perspective. I’m not sure Maryland’s football brand is as respected in the state of Michigan and regionally as it should be, for a program that has gone 8-5 in the past two seasons and defeated Auburn and North Carolina State in bowl games the past two years.
Maryland is good. The Terrapins are coming off a 50-7 victory over a weak UConn team last week. Maryland’s offense looked very good against a weak, soft, conservative UConn defense.
Michigan State’s defense was ahead of schedule last week against a mediocre Florida Atlantic offense. Michigan State’s offense was behind schedule, experiencing inconsistent accuracy and decision-making at the quarterback position, which was somewhat understandable considering it was sophomore Aidan Chiles’ first start as a college player. MSU’s running game also lacked consistency, especially in short yardage and in the red zone.
The big news from Maryland last week in my opinion was the excellent play of new starting quarterback Billy Edwards. The 6-foot-3, 222-pound redshirt-junior had waited behind the outgoing, record-breaking Taulia Tagovailoa for three years. Tagovailoa left Maryland as the Big Ten’s all-time passing leader. He went undrafted and is now playing in the CFL.
Edwards looked good last week. He’s strong in the pocket, is a physical ball carrier on designed runs or scrambles. He was accurate over the middle on intermediate routes, and seemed to do a good job processing coverages, although UConn’s coverages were simple, slow and soft.
I saw this Michigan State vs Maryland game as a swing game on the schedule prior to the season. But considering how well Edwards and his receivers looked last week, and Michigan State’s sputtering start on offense, this game goes from being a swing game to uphill slog for the Spartans.
One teen shot another during a dispute in a Maryland high school bathroom Friday in what authorities called an isolated incident.
The victim, a 15-year-old student at Joppatowne High School, was in serious condition after being airlifted to a hospital, the Harford County Public Schools said in a news release, citing information it received from the county sheriff’s department.
A 16-year-old student whom police identified as the shooter fled shortly afterward but was caught minutes later nearby, according to the news release. Officials said no information would be released immediately about the weapon, which had not been recovered.
The state’s attorney has said the suspect will be charged, the release said, citing Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler.
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Shortly after the shooting, the sheriff’s office asked people to avoid the area, but emphasized that the confrontation was an “isolated incident, not an active shooter.” A parent-student reunification center was established at a nearby church. More than 100 personnel responded to the high school about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Baltimore, Gahler said.
The fight happened two days after a shooter whom authorities identified as a 14-year-old student killed four people at a high school outside Atlanta. Wednesday’s attack renewed debate about safe storage laws for guns and had parents wondering how to talk to their children about school shootings and trauma.
Michigan State football heads out east looking to open Big Ten play with a big-time victory.
The Spartans will play at Maryland on Saturday afternoon in their first conference game of the year. Michigan State enters this matchup with a 1-0 record on the year following last week’s win over Florida Atlantic. Maryland is also 1-0 thus far on the season, picking up a blowout non-conference win over UConn last week.
Maryland enters this game as a more than touchdown favorite depending on the sports book. The Terps have won the last two meetings between these two schools.
Below are the details for Saturday’s matchup between the Spartans and Terps:
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Game time: 3:30 p.m. ET on September 7
Location: SECU Stadium (College Park, Md.)
TV: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Listen: Spartan Media Network or MSUSpartans.com
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