Heh heh. Whatever it was called seeing it ahead was a sight to behold. I think 195 feet in the air and two cigarets long. I stopped on the other side and checked my map to see if there was another way back to DC. Then just went for it. I have never passed out in my life but was concerned there would be a first time.
What are you describing bing?
The Preston memorial bridge east of Annapolis. One of ten of the scariest bridges and I think I have been on most of them.
That bridge seems like an unlikely place to get hit by a train.
“2 cigarettes long”
You lost me at that.
I take that to mean he could smoke 2 cigarettes while traveling the bridge.
Thanks for clarifying that.
I would never have gotten the context of that. Having never smoked might be the reason.
Sometimes I just dont know where to start. Hands shaking, hands on wheel, eyes straight ahead, first one done, lighting second one, over we go. Had a friend who would actually wet his pants in tense situations.
Have not been on the The Preston memorial bridge, but I have been on the Mackinac. Several times a week I drive over shorter high rise bridges, high enough to let sailboat pass under them. Just never bothered me, but yes I know there are people that are terrified of bridges. Plus when I was a kid walked over bridges that spanned the Mississippi in Minneapolis. Driving I-10 in Louisiana was not fully aware I was on a bridge, Atchafalaya Basin Bridge.
I drew a blank when I saw the name of that bridge, so I had to google it. I had not previously been aware that the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel had been renamed with an equally-unwieldy name.
My father was an avid follower of news about new highways and new bridges, so in connection with a vacation trip to Colonial Williamsburg, we drove that new structure in the summer of '64. Because he had spent most of his life in NYC, my father didn’t own a car until he was middle-aged, and as a result, I think that he was a somewhat nervous driver. However, I don’t recall any reactions from him other than wonderment about this engineering achievement.
I was 16 at the time, and I also remember being fascinated by this incredible feat of engineering.
As a follow-up to comments about the Preston Memorial Bridge, folks who are not from the NYC Metro area may not be aware of its very old (and much shorter) ancestor , the Count Casimir Pulaski Skyway, which was built in the early '30s. This is considered by many to have been the first “superhighway” in The US.
Just to show how un-super this highway is by modern standards, it has no shoulders, the lanes are only 11 feet wide, and the center divider is so low that a speeding vehicle could easily vault over it. When first built, the road didn’t even have a divider.
From its earliest days, it earned a reputation as being an unsafe road to drive on. Trucks aren’t allowed on this road, but shortly after getting my DL, back in the mid-60s, I learned that the road is best avoided, due to the white-knuckle experience.
It’s so high, that when the NJ Turnpike was built, an elevated section of the NJTP was designed to pass under the Pulaski Skyway.
Yeah I’ve been over both the Mackinac bridge and the New Orleans one. I didn’t really mind either. The thing about the Mackinac bridge is the high wind currents that can blow trucks over. On I 24 around Paducah the new interstate bridge was closed and we were routed over the old two lane pulling the camper. Interesting. It’s on you tube somewhere if you want to ride along but pretty narrow.
I heard about Pontchertrain, supposed to be 24mi long?
Anyone ride that one? Legend has it that it’s so long the curvature of the Earth hides land from view when you’re halfway across.
I’ve been in that bridge several times. The only time it scared me was when I rode my motorcycle over it. The expanded metal grates were intimidating because the bike wiggles as it passes over the grates. The good news was that I could stay on the pavement and not cross over the grates. I told myself not to look down several times.
You’ll be pleased to know that the bridge is likely to be replaced in the next decade or two. Building bumpers to keep runaway container ships from knocking the bridge down is impractical, it would decrease the ship lanes too much. No fooling, it happens! Anyway, the new bridge might be more to your liking.
This is an Short Video of driving on the Governor William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge… I have been on this bridge when it is windy, rainy, and in between 18-wheelers swaying back and forth in the wind gusts… and that is scary!
Tonights news (20 May 2026) reported that the driver of the Sewage Truck medical condition has been upgraded to “Serious but Stable Condition…”
Driving on a bridge, especially a long bridge has all types of danger. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel (CBBT) is almost 18-miles long with two under water tunnels…
Some members might need a fresh pack of cigarettes to finish the trip… This is the bridge we take to Virginia’s Eastern Shore…
During a “nor’easter,” a powerful, large-scale winter storm that strikes the East Coast will sometimes cause the authorities to close the crossing to all traffic when the winds get too high.
Bridge-related, at least:
Would you drive, or even walk across…!
On the CBBT, Bicycles, Pedestrians, Scooters/Bicycles, Mopeds as well as Animal-Drawn Vehicles are prohibited.