Plans to assemble a brand new Chesapeake Bay Bridge might enable bigger cruise ships to sail into Baltimore.
On Thursday, the Maryland Transportation Authority Board unanimously voted to advance a plan to exchange the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, as reported by WTOP Information.
The “Various-C” plan would see the development of two four-lane bridges over the bay, doubling the present capability. Moreover, it could enhance the vertical clearance of the bridge to match that of the Key Bridge when it’s accomplished.
This could give vessels an additional 50 ft of clearance, doubtlessly permitting bigger ships that had been beforehand unable to move beneath the prevailing bridge entry to the Port of Baltimore for the primary time.
The full price of the undertaking is estimated to be between $15 billion and $17 billion. Design work might start as early as 2028, with building scheduled for summer season 2032, pending approvals and different formal necessities.
Regardless of the excessive price ticket, the bridge would significantly profit the native financial system, with an financial evaluation estimating that the bridge undertaking would generate wherever from $17 billion to $23 billion and create 61,300 to 75,600 jobs.
“This suggestion is an thrilling step that strikes us nearer to a Bay crossing that gives a smoother journey expertise for many who drive over the bridge and the Marylanders who stay by it,” stated Maryland Division of Transportation Appearing Secretary Samantha J. Biddle in an announcement.
“Various C is the choice that finest helps Marylanders’ present and future each day journey wants with the least environmental influence on our treasured Chesapeake Bay.”
What a taller bridge might imply for Baltimore cruises
Imaginative and prescient of the Seas, a Imaginative and prescient Class ship measuring lower than 79,000 gross registered tons (GRT), is the one Royal Caribbean cruise ship that sails from Baltimore as a result of present restrictions.
Different cruise traces, together with Carnival, additionally deploy smaller ships to Baltimore as a result of the prevailing Chesapeake Bay Bridge limits the scale of vessels that may safely move beneath it. Carnival Pleasure, for instance, is available in at 88,500 GRT.
Neither Imaginative and prescient of the Seas nor Carnival Pleasure represents the cruise traces’ fashionable mega-ships and state-of-the-art options of at present’s fleet.
Learn extra: My first Royal Caribbean cruise from Baltimore: Important ideas for Maryland sailings
The decades-old ships lack lots of the facilities discovered on newer ships, similar to expansive waterparks, a number of specialty eating venues, and high-quality leisure choices.
Consequently, Baltimore cruises are extra restricted in onboard choices and are usually harking back to a extra conventional period of cruising.
A taller Chesapeake Bay Bridge might take away the present limitations and permit bigger cruise ships to sail from Baltimore, opening the door for newer, bigger vessels to homeport in Baltimore.
Furthermore, it might persuade Royal Caribbean to deploy a ship to Baltimore year-round. In March 2025, the cruise line’s deployment schedule revealed that it was pulling Baltimore cruises throughout the winter of 2026 and 2027.
Nonetheless, a number of months later, the deployment schedule confirmed that Imaginative and prescient of the Seas would return to Maryland, albeit seasonally.
She’ll be primarily based out of Baltimore from Might to October 2027, with plans to supply 5- and 9-night cruises to Bermuda and Canada/New England.
Demolition of the remaining sections of the Francis Scott Key Bridge is ongoing
On March 26, 2024, Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge partially collapsed after being struck by a container ship. It was the second-longest bridge in the US and the third-longest on the earth.
Following the accident, cruise operations in Maryland got here to a screeching halt as officers assessed the injury and carried out security measures.
Demolition of the bridge’s remaining piers, ramps, and aboveground constructions was initially deliberate for 2024. Nonetheless, the Maryland Transportation Authority postponed it to 2025.
The method formally started in July 2025 and is predicted to take round 9 months, with an estimated completion date of round April 2026. Consequently, the opening of the substitute bridge has been pushed again to late 2030.
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