The Chesapeake Bay Bridge has done more to boost tourism than any oth-er factor in Ocean City’s history.
Opened on July 30, 1952, the Bay Bridge replaced the antiquated ferry system across the Chesapeake Bay and provided quick and easy access from the Western Shore for those visiting Ocean City. The town’s summer population doubled followed the opening of the bridge.
Built at a cost of $45 million (a huge sum in 1952), it rises to 200 feet at its peak with an overall length of 7.7 miles. A second span was completed in 1973. Many regard the construction of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as one of the three most important events in Ocean City history along with the Hurri-cane of 1933 and the March Storm of 1962.
Postcard from Bunk Mann’s collection