KENT ISLAND, Md. - Plans for the new span for the Bay Bridge are expected to delay five years.
People in Queen Anne's county are learning more about plans to possibly build a new Chesapeake Bay Bridge span onto Kent Island. However, it appears it will be a slow process.
Right now, the Maryland transportation authority is knee deep in what's called, the "tier 2" phase of the project.
The state says the process of studying the environment could take years.
Queen Anne's County Commissioner, Jim Moran, says research to decide where, what, and when the new span will be built will take up those five years. And when decided, it will take another six years to build.
Moran says, ""phase two tells you exactly, to the foot, where the bridge is going to go. That's what takes so long. It's a five year study that will cover everything" Moran added that the cost analysis will be expensive. "You're talking anywhere between seven to 10 billion dollars," says Moran.
Those in the community, like Rebecca Hooks, say she is fine with a delay. "I honestly don't mind it being put off for another 5 years. I honestly don't approve of another bridge coming to Kent Island. It needs to reconnect somewhere else, so it just bypasses us. There is so much traffic in the summertime that could be avoided if it connected somewhere else," says Hook.
But Moran says, "Moving the bridge anywhere else is not going to alleviate the traffic issues that we have at this bridge".
And in regards to the age, "the three lane bridge is now 50 years old. And, the two lane bridge is 70 years old. So, to move the bridge somewhere else, it does not address the issue that these bridges need to be replaced," says Moran.
A long addressed issue, waiting for the green light to go.