Old Wilson Bridge Used to Create Reefs

SOLOMONS ISLAND, Md. -- Huge concrete slabs from the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge are being dumped into the Chesapeake Bay to create a deep water, artificial reef for fish, oysters and underwater grass beds.

In all, more than 1,000 tons of the old bridge will be placed in the waters to create the Ceder Point Fish Haven at the mouth of the Patuxent River.

"We've actually developed a fairly scientific system of building these reefs," says Mike Baker, environmental manager with the Wilson Bridge Project.

"We start by milling off the asphalt, and that gets recycled. Then we slice the concrete decks (of the bridge) up, and we lay those down first. That makes a nice solid foundation or a bed for the fish reef. The we take the columns, then we detonate the lower elements of the old bridge. We dredge that off the bottom and pepper it over the top of the reef. It creates all kinds of fantastic habitats for a variety of different species."

It costs more to dump the parts of the bridge in the water than it does to just drop it off at a landfill.

"The premium we pay is about $20 to $30 a ton difference than what it would cost at a landfill.," says Baker.

Donors have put up $3,500 for this project but more money is needed for future projects. Overall, several hundred thousand dollars has been spent to create Maryland's reefs. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources is working with Coastal Conservation Association Maryland and more than 30 conservation, outdoor groups and businesses to make make the Maryland Artificial Reef Initiative work. MARI, which is a nonprofit, has raised nearly $1 million, half of it through a Maryland state bond the legislature approved last session.

The state has three reefs started, Baker says. The others are at the mouth of the Potomac River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay and in Tangier Sound near the Eastern Shore. The first bridge debris was dumped a year ago.

In all, about half the old Wilson Bridge has been used for reefs, creating more artificial reefs in the Chesapeake than has been done in the past 10 years.

"This has been a very rewarding endeavor, no more traffic tie-ups," says Baker.

Baker says the impact of each reef is felt immediately.

"As soon as you place this material, you've got various species of fish on it. From a biological perspective that's tremendous, and from a sport fishing perspective that's tremendous."

Fisherman wouldn't disagree. When the first reef was laid down at Point No Point at the mouth of the Potomac, fisherman said the started catching bluefish and rockfish quickly. The same is expected with this new reef, although some watermen have questioned the cleanliness of construction materials.

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