Chesapeake Bay Bridge

The Chesapeake Bay Parallel Crossing was built as a joint venture between the Hardaway Company and Interbeton (from the Netherlands). The contract included restoration of the original bridge, built in the early 1960s.

The parallel crossing consists of approximately 12.44 miles of low-level precast modular spans supported on 54" and 66" diameter precast pipe piles. High-level structural steel plate girder spans were erected in the north channel (3,100' long) and at Fisherman's Inlet (460' long). The work also included major expansion structures and tunnel approach widenings on four portal islands. The extensive utility work included a new 15 kv feeder, a fiber optic system, telephone and traffic control devices, as well as lighting.

The team established a large precasting facility near the new bridge produced all precast concrete structural elements needed for the project, including 54" and 66" diameter concrete cylinder piles and 150-ton modular deck units, as well as bent caps. The quantities for the bridge were staggering, as it required 237,000 lf of concrete piling, 664 bent caps and 1,847 modular deck units.

When the original crossing was completed in the early 1960s, it was considered by many to be the “eighth wonder of the world.” Construction of the parallel crossing today was no less challenging, and again drew focus to this remarkable achievement in engineering and construction.