What was the length of the original span of the bridge which made ocean beaches on the Eastern Shore of Maryland more accessible to visitors from Washington, D.C.?
Chesapeake Bay Bridge The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known as the "Bay Bridge") is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the urban Western Shore. The original span, opened in 1952 and with a length of 4.3 mi , was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure; the parallel span was added in 1973. The bridge is officially named the "Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge" after William Preston Lane Jr. who, as the 52nd Governor of Maryland, initiated its construction in the late 1940s finally after decades of political indecision and public controversy.
Norfolk–Portsmouth Bridge–Tunnel The Norfolk–Portsmouth Bridge–Tunnel was a project to connect downtown Norfolk, Virginia, United States with downtown Portsmouth via a drawbridge over the Eastern Branch Elizabeth River and a tunnel under the Southern Branch. It opened on May 23, 1952, predating the area's better-known bridge–tunnel complexes: the Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel, opened in 1957; the Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel, opened in 1964; and the Monitor–Merrimac Memorial Bridge–Tunnel, opened in 1992.