Every week, Maryland political analysts Len Foxwell and Clayton Mitchell break down the politics and personalities shaping the state and the region on the Spy podcast, Maryland Caucus.
This week, Len and Clayton discuss Dorchester County State Delegate Tom Hutchinson and his campaign to have the Eastern Shore secede from the State of Maryland. They also talk about the ongoing problem of traffic on the Bay Bridge and what can be done before the new spans are built.
2 Responses
Excellent discussion. Regarding prohibitively costly new bridges: It is high time Maryland petition the War Department at long last to release to Maryland the Chesapeake Bay Tunnels. From Calvert Cliffs on the west to Taylor’s Island on the east, these tunnels – now sealed and immaculate – were built in secret by President Eisenhower’s Defense Department and CIA to transport the ICBM’s of that war-anxious period. Given those missiles’ width and height, the tunnels’ dimensions are such that each can be modified for six lanes in each direction – that is, two layers each of three lanes in each tunnel. One appreciates the modest congestion to be had on the western shore, while on the east the tunnels entry and exit points would be in western Dorchester County, in swamp lands now so vacant that only economically non-producing wildlife care to inhabit them, but which easily converge on a proposed mega factory outlet shopping mall on US50. … To activate public support, these should be named the Chesapeake Family Vacation Tunnels, committees formed, and rallies with entertainment. Imagine the economic boon to “The Land of Pleasant Living.”
I think Bishop Johnson’s suggestion is excellent. I, and probably the vast majority of Shore residents, did not know these tunnels existed. At the very least the concept should be thoroughly analyzed by honest and competent transportation people to determine the realistic possibility of using them, cost to upgrade tunnels, build access roads on each end, and time frame to do all of that. Such should be compared to the third bridge alternative now being pushed by the State and all of those hoping to ride the coat tails of a third bridge and make a financial killing from so doing. From the viewpoint of transportation security to not dumping more traffic congestion on the existing bridge crossing location and Route 50, an alternative bay crossing such as this makes much sense. We, the citizen taxpayers, pay for all of it, so lets invest our money wisely.