(WHDH) — Everyone has a fear that prevents them from doing one thing or another. For some, that fear is heights, and Maryland’s unusual Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Forget spiders, snakes and crowded places! This bridge has forced some to seek mental health treatment.
The bridge, which is nearly 200 feet high and 4.3 miles long, spans the Chesapeake Bay. It connects the state’s rural Eastern Shore region with the urban Western Shore.
The bridge is the longest continuous over-water steel structure and the third longest bridge in the world. It opened in 1952. Many refer to it as the “scariest bridge in America.”
For motorists traveling across the bridge, the commute can be quite unpredictable. Some motorists say it’s simply not an option. Bay Bridge Drive-Overs takes people across the bridge for a fee of $25.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-B3j83ozJk&w=560&h=315]
Inside Edition joined one of the driver’s and Carolyn Casey, who is frightened by the bridge, as they took a ride across. Casey says she’s fearful of a bridge collapse, the massive vessels that can be seen passing below and weather that can change on dime.
The bridge’s barricades are only four feet tall and at some lower-elevation places, waves can crash onto the bridge. In rain storms and high winds, visibility is drastically reduced. The bridge has been closed due to weather on many occasions.
Some motorists have resorted to seeking mental therapy in an effort to overcome their fear of crossing the bridge. The bridge varies between two and three lanes in each direction depending on the span. Dozens of accidents have been reported on the bridge since it first opened.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)