Bill for Chesapeake Bay Bridge expansion dies

The bill that would have gave the go-ahead to look into the possibility of expanding the Chesapeake Bay Bridge failed to pass Monday night during the last hours of the General Assembly session.

The bill would have called for an examination of the environmental impact and cost of adding a third span to the Bay Bridge.

Sen. Jim Mathias (D) sponsored the bill and said lawmakers essentially ran out of time to hammer out details, and that it will be re-introduced next session.

A Maryland Transportation Authority study said that if the bridge isn’t widened by 2040, backups for traffic headed west on Sundays during the summer could stretch up to 14 miles.

Mathias called the bill the most important bill he’s ever introduced.

“The most important thing we can do in life whether it’s family, a business, politically, community, church, is planning. Planning, that’s what this bill does, it plans for our future. So absolutely, I remain committed to that bill,” Mathias said.

Mathias said he doesn’t blame anyone for the bill failing and said he will work tirelessly to get the bill passed next year.