| Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Carries | 2 lanes of U.S. Route 301 |
| Crosses | Potomac River |
| Locale | Dahlgren, Virginia and Newburg, Maryland |
| Maintained by | Maryland Transportation Authority |
| Design | Continuous truss bridge |
| Longest span | 800 ft (240 m) |
| Opened | December 1940 |
| Toll | $4.00 (southbound) per two-axle vehicle beginning Nov. 1, 2011; E-ZPass accepted |
The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge is a 1.7-mile (2.7 km), two-lane continuous truss bridge that spans the Potomac River between Newburg in Charles County, Maryland and Dahlgren in King George County, Virginia, USA.[1] The bridge is narrow (one 11-foot (3.4 m) lane in each direction with no shoulders), steep (up to 3.75 percent grade), and has a reduced speed limit (50 mph on the main span, even slower through the toll gates and plaza).[2] This combination causes cars and trucks to slow and merge, which often results in backups.
This two lane bridge carries U.S. Route 301, which is a spur of U.S. Route 1 and a popular north–south alternative for bypassing the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area as well as Interstate 95, Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway), and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the north along the Potomac River. The traffic growth/volume in Southern Maryland has led to congestion and delays, especially on holidays and weekends.[3] In 2005, the bridge handled approximately 6.4 million vehicles.[4]
It is one of seven toll facilities operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority, and is one of only two toll bridges over the Potomac River.
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt presided over the ground-breaking ceremony for the bridge in 1939.[5] Known as the Potomac River Bridge when opened in December 1940, the bridge was renamed in 1967 for Harry W. Nice (1877–1941) who served as governor of Maryland from 1935 to 1939.[6][7] The bridge was the first south of Washington, DC to provide a highway link between Maryland and Virginia.[8][9]
In June 2006, the Maryland Transportation Authority initiated the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge Improvement Project.[10] This project is exploring upgrade/replacement of the main span, which is a bottleneck as the bridge is only two lanes, whereas U.S. Route 301 is a four lane divided highway in both Maryland and Virginia. As of June 2007, it was in the planning stage. In December 2007, the Washington Post reported that six alternatives had been identified.[11]
The project is being coordinated with the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and is proceeding in conjunction with the Maryland State Highway Administration's U.S. Route 301 South Corridor Transportation Study [12] and the U.S. Route 301 Waldorf Area Transportation Improvements Project.[13]
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