Springtime may be upon us, but the cold effects of winter are still threatening to dampen our enjoyment of the warmer weather.
The extensive ice accumulation on the Chesapeake Bay earlier in 2015 wreaked havoc for Maryland and Virginia residents from top to bottom. Around the Upper Bay, portions of the Chesapeake were closed off to water traffic. In the Lower Bay, National Guardsmen were flying food and other necessities to the residents of Tangier Island.
While Maryland and Virginia residents were concerned with what was happening above water level, it’s what was happening below the surface that has reason to give sailors pause. “The combination of thick ice, barnacles, and tide can pull pilings right up and out of the silt,” warned Mike Ahart. With stronger than normal king tides predicted for the early half of 2015, not even the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is immune from danger.
Added to this is the fact that a significant number of stress cracks have been found in the bridge's foundation.
“The Maryland State Highway Administration is working closely with members of the U.S. National Ice Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to determine the structural integrity of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge,” Cmdr. Guy Hadley of the National Ice Center announced in a press release. “The prolonged ice effects are being measured with the public’s safety as our foremost concern.”
Maryland Transportation Authority representative Tom Dudley announced that work is already being done to test the integrity of the beams. “The pilings closest to shore are concrete, but all the rest are steel. We’re confident that the ice made no significant damage to the concrete pilings, but the steel ones are displaying stress corrosion cracking in greater magnitude than we’ve seen before.”
The westbound span was last inspected by engineers in 2012, after “unusual vertical movements” triggered alarm. The bridge was only closed for a few hours, but traffic became backed up for over six miles.
To determine whether any of the pilings need to be replaced, the MD SHA is going to be conducting tests on both spans of the bridge between May 15 and June 10, with extensive shut downs scheduled for daylight hours. “We understand the significant delays this will cause in traffic heading to and from the Eastern Shore,” said Dudley. “We would like to encourage travelers to carpool, travel outside regular commuting hours, and find alternate methods of travel to ease traffic.” To find out when the shut downs are scheduled, click here.
This Chesapeake Bay Bridge is often closed down due to high winds. Most recently, the bridge was closed on March 6, 2013, during a nor’easter.
