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Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge

The Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge carries Interstate 95 over the Susquehanna River between Havre de Grace and Perryville, Maryland.



The Millard E. Tydings Memorial Bridge was erected between January 1962 and November 1963 at the cost of $11 million to carry the Northeast Expressway/Interstate 95 over the Susquehanna River. 4 It was dedicated, along with the highway it carries, by President John F. Kennedy on November 14, eight days before he was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. 3 The bridge was named after Millard Tydings, a longtime political figure in Maryland who served as U.S. Senator between 1927 and 1951. The Northeast Expressway was renamed the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway in 1964.

Originally striped for four through lanes, the Tydings Memorial Bridge was reconfigured for six through lanes in 1972 after the Kennedy Memorial Highway was widened to six through lanes between MD Route 43 and the Delaware state line. 2 It can be configured for eight through lanes in the future. 3

Tolls for southbound travelers were removed in October 1991 in lieu of doubling the toll rate for northbound travelers. 2 In March 2020, temporary cashless tolling via E-ZPass was implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic; those changes were made permanent in August 2020. 1


Details

  • State: Maryland
  • Route: Interstate 95
  • Status: Active (Automobile)
  • Type: Pratt Deck Truss, Warren Deck Truss
  • Total Length: 5,061 feet
  • Main Span Length: 490 feet
  • Spans:
  • Deck Width: 87 feet
  • Roadway Width: 80 feet
  • Height of Structure: 0
  • Above Vertical Clearance: 0
  • Navigational Clearance:


Sources

  1. All-Electronic Tolling Now Permanent at All MDTA Facilities Statewide in Maryland.” WBOC-TV [Salisbury], 6 Aug. 2020.
  2. Kozel, Scott M. “John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway (I-95).” Roads to the Future, 1 Feb. 2006.
  3. Winters, Bruce. “Northeast Expressway to Open.” Evening Sun [Baltimore], 13 Nov. 1963, p. C1.
  4. “President Kennedy is Dedicating New Md.-Del. Turnpike Link.” Evening Sun [Baltimore], 14 Nov. 1963, pp. D6-D24.

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