Skip to main content

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

Image
By

 


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:
Labels:
Location: Newburg, MD 20664, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
3 comments
Read more

Hawaii Route 50

By
Hawaii Route 50 is the longest Sign Route on the island of Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The entirety of Hawaii Route 50 is overlaid atop Kaumualii Highway from Lihue west to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Hawaii Route 50 is one of the original 1955-era State Highway designations on Kauai.  Much of the Kaumualii Highway corridor was constructed during the sugar plantation boom of the late Hawaiian Kingdom.  The first tee beam bridge in Hawaii would be constructed along the Kaumualii Highway in 1911 at the Hanapepe.  Much of this highway would be modernized to two-lane standards through the 1930s and 1940s. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 50 and Kaumualii Highway Hawaii Route 50 is the longest highway on Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The highway begins at Rice Str...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ghost Town Tuesday; Nichols, FL

By
A couple years ago I spent a lot of spare time exploring phosphate mining ghost towns in the Bone Valley of Polk County, Florida.  One ghost town in particular called Nichols on Polk County Route 676 west of Mulberry caught my eye due to a relative lack of documentation on ghosttowns.com. Nichols was created in 1905 during the early phosphate mining boom in the Bone Valley region.  For the time Nichols was unusual since it had company housing in the Nichols Mine site and private residences outside the gate.  Nichols is only about two miles west of Mulberry which probably made it a somewhat reasonable commute even by the wonky standards of the early 20th Century.  Most of the Bone Valley region was relatively remote which made commuting or homesteading impractical which is why there are so many ghost towns in the area.  The company housing section of Nichols was phased out and abandoned by 1950. The Nichols town site is largely abandoned and could "possibl...
4 comments
Read more