Critics say safety improvements still needed for Bay Bridge

WASHINGTON - A year after one of the worst crashes in the history of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, some say the bridge still needs safety improvements.

While AAA Mid-Atlantic applauds Maryland transportation officials for strengthening the Jersey walls on the eastbound span, the automotive group says there's still a serious safety concern about two-way traffic that runs on one span of the bridge.

"We continue to call upon the state to separate traffic on the bridge through the use of a permanent barrier or a movable system," says John Townsend with AAA Mid-Atlantic. "The margin of error is too slim. We saw what happened last year."

Early in the morning on Aug. 10, 2008 a young driver fell asleep at the wheel and swerved into oncoming traffic on the bridge. A tractor trailer tried to avoid the car, slamming into the wall along the side of the eastbound span. The truck jumped the wall, then plunged into the water below, killing the driver.

Traffic delays stretched for miles as investigators kept the eastbound span of the bridge closed for hours.

"It was not an extraordinary situation, it was a tragic situation. And our theory is that during two-way traffic it can happen again," says Townsend.

Statistics from AAA Mid-Atlantic show that 70 percent of deadly crashes on the bridge happen when there is two-way traffic on one span. Nearly 25 million vehicles cross the bridge every year.

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