Skip to main content

Maryland's Nice/Middleton Bridge Replacement Project Nears the Finish Line

 


Down on the lower Potomac River south of Washington, D.C. and near the Chesapeake Bay, an internationally-renowned contracting team is building the next large-scale bridge project in the state’s history. The existing Nice/Middleton Bridge (officially the “Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge”) carrying U.S. Route 301 across the Potomac between Newburg, MD and Dahlgren, VA is being replaced with a new structure intended to better serve the high traffic demands of the present and future.

The name of this bridge has changed multiple times over the years. When it was dedicated in 1940, it was known simply as the Potomac River Bridge (a name folks still use to describe it, even today). In 1967, the bridge was renamed in honor of Harry W. Nice, who served as Governor of Maryland from 1935-39 and was instrumental in approving the funding necessary to build the bridge. In 2018, the bridge's name was modified once again to honor Thomas Middleton, who served as a State Senator in the Maryland Legislature from 1995-2019, representing the state's 28th district in southern Charles County, where the bridge is located.

Above: The old Nice/Middleton Bridge (photographed here in 2015) was completed in 1940 and is a vital traffic artery along the US Route 301 corridor east of Washington, D.C.
Below: The old Nice/Middleton Bridge (photographed here in 2015) features narrow roadways and no shoulders, sometimes making for a intimidating experience for drivers.


Under the guidance of the Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) and Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), a $463 million design-build contract was awarded to the contracting joint venture team of Skanska-Corman-McLean (SCM). Since Maryland owns all of the Potomac River up to the low tide line on the Virginia shore, that agency is responsible for nearly all costs associated with the project. (Virginia has supplied a relatively small amount of funding for the improved US Route 301 approach roads in Dahlgren.) The scope of the project is highlighted by the replacement of the existing bridge with a new four-lane bridge, designed to improve traffic flow and overall safety across the Potomac. Unlike the existing bridge, which does not have any barriers separating oncoming traffic, a concrete median divider will be built along with the new bridge’s deck. The new bridge’s four lane deck will accommodate the ever-increasing traffic demands of the 301 corridor while also providing a bit more margin for error for drivers as opposed to the existing bridge’s narrow roadway.

Above: The existing Nice/Middleton Bridge stands guard as its replacement takes shape a short distance upstream.
Below: The new Nice/Middleton Bridge nears completion in these June 2022 photos

Construction of the bridge began in July 2020 and it is expected to be opened in early 2023. Upon completion of the new structure, the old bridge will be closed and demolished. Pieces of the old bridge's concrete and steel superstructure will be recycled for use in the creation of new artificial reefs around the lower Chesapeake Bay nearby.

The following pictures of the existing Nice/Middleton Bridge were taken by the author of this post. Click on each photo to see a larger version.

The following pictures of the construction site were taken by the author of this post using a DJI quadcopter drone. Always use proper judgment and situational awareness when flying in areas such as this. Click on each photo to see a larger version.


Virginia DOT website devoted to the Project

How to Get There:

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway

The communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway can all be found along US Route 101 within southern Humboldt County.  The former surface alignment of US Route 101 in Garberville and Redway once crossed the Garberville Bluffs along what is now Redwood Drive via a corridor constructed as part of the Redwood Highway during the 1910s.  US Route 101 through Benbow, Garberville and Redway was modernized by 1935.  US Route 101 would eventually be upgraded to freeway standards in Benbow, Garberville and Redway by extension of the Redwood Freeway during 1966-68.  As the cover photo the original grade of US Route 101 and the Redwood Highway can be seen at the Garberville Bluffs during 1934.  US Route 101 can be seen in the communities of Benbow, Garberville and Redway on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Humboldt County .   The history of US Route 101 in Benbow, Garberville and Redway Benbow, Garberville and Redway lie on the banks of the South Fork Eel River of southern Humboldt County.  D

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding.  That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol.  My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley.  Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.  Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament."  By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held

Old Stage Road in Tulare County and Kern County

Old Stage Road is an approximately 30-mile rural highway comprised of Tulare County Mountain Road 1, Kern County Mountain Road 447 and Tulare County Mountain Road 109.  Old Stage originates at Jack Ranch Road near Posey and ends at the outskirts of Porterville at Deer Creek.  Old Stage Road notably is comprised of two 19th Century stage routes.  From White Mountain Road northwest to Fountain Springs, Old Stage Road overlays Thomas Baker's 1860s era stage road to Linn Valley (now Glennville) and the Kern River Gold Rush Claims.  From Fountain Springs to Deer Creek, Old Stage Road is comprised of the 1853 Stockton-Los Angeles Road. Featured as the blog cover is the northward descent on Old Stage Road along Arrastre Creek to the town site of White River.  What became White River was settled along a spur of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road as "Dog Town" when gold was discovered nearby.  By 1856 the community had been renamed Tailholt.  A stage road from Tailholt to Linn Valley w