BALTIMORE, MD—The Maryland Transportation Authority will host three Open House events in September for the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study: Tier 2 National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) Study, which was announced by Governor Larry Hogan on June 10, 2022. The launch of the Tier 2 NEPA Study follows completion of the Tier 1 NEPA Study in April and continues efforts to provide congestion relief at the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial (Bay) Bridge and its approach highways from the Severn River Bridge to the U.S. 50/U.S. 301 split.
The Tier 2 NEPA Study Open House events will be held September 7, 8 and 13, and interested parties are invited to attend virtually or in-person. Attendees will be able to learn about the Tier 2 NEPA Study, ask questions and provide comments. The events also will include a review of the Tier 1 NEPA Study, which identified Corridor 7, the corridor containing the existing Bay Bridge, as the Selected Corridor Alternative.
There will be no formal presentation. However, the study team will be available to answer questions during both the in-person and virtual Open Houses. The same information will be provided at each event. Materials are available now to review on the study website at baycrossingstudy.com. The following are the dates and times for each meeting:
Virtual Open House
Wednesday, September 7, 6-8 p.m.
baycrossingstudy.com
Queen Anne’s County Open House
Thursday, September 8, 6-8 p.m.
Kent Island American Legion Post 278
800 Romancoke Road, Stevensville, MD 21666
Anne Arundel County Open House
Tuesday, September 13, 6-8 p.m.
Broadneck High School
1265 Green Holly Dr., Annapolis, MD 21409
Individuals requiring special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act, or those requiring translation services (free of charge), should contact the MDTA at 410-537-1000 (711 for MD Relay) no later than 10 business days before the Open House they would like to attend. The MDTA, in coordination with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is following the well-established NEPA process to study potential improvements. This process applies to all projects receiving federal funding or approval.
Next steps of the Tier 2 NEPA Study will include:
- refining the Purpose and Need element of the study to focus on Corridor 7;
- evaluating a No Build alternative and a range of build alternatives, including various alignments, crossing types and modal and operational alternatives;
- evaluating traffic, engineering and environmental impacts;
- providing public involvement and comment opportunities;
- identifying a Selected Alternative; and
- identifying mitigation measures for unavoidable environmental impacts.
The MDTA is encouraging the public to provide comments regarding the Tier 2 NEPA Study by Friday, October 14, 2022. Comments may be submitted via various methods:
- Submit a comment form at one of the in-person Open Houses.
- Submit an electronic comment form at baycrossingstudy.com.
- Email comments to [email protected].
- Print and mail a completed comment form to:
Bay Crossing Study,
2310 Broening Highway,
Baltimore, MD 21224. - Provide a voicemail message 24/7 by calling 667-203-5408.
Photo by Jonathan Borba from Pexels
