primo piano

By: marina

Feb 11 2011

Tags: amazing, blue, bridge, flying, ocean, postaweek2011, sailboat, water, wonder

Category: exterior, objects, photography

8 Comments

I took the above picture this past summer, while flying back from L.A. where I visited my daughter.
This is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, a four-lane 20-mile-long vehicular toll crossing of the lower Chesapeake Bay.
I drove on it several times on my way to Philadelphia on our frequent trips to visit the hubby’s family.

Here are some technical details about the bridge.
The facility carries US 13, the main north-south highway on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, and provides the only direct link between Virginia’s Eastern Shore and south Hampton Roads, Virginia. The crossing consists of a series of low-level trestles interrupted by two approximately one-mile-long tunnels beneath Thimble Shoals and Chesapeake navigation channels.

Total Length (including approach roads):
23 miles
Length Toll Plaza to Toll Plaza:
20 miles
Length Shore to Shore:
17.6 miles
Depth of water along Route:
25 to 100 feet
Tunnels (Trench Type):
Thimble Shoal Tunnel: 5,734 feet in length, portal to portal
Chesapeake Channel Tunnel: 5,423 feet in length, portal to portal
Awards:
*American Society of Civil Engineers 1965 award for “Outstanding Engineering Achievement”
*Designated “One of Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World” in 1965

linked to:

365 Photo Challenge 5 = amazing

Sunday Bridge

Photo Sunday = bridge

Photo Friday = Breathtaking