The Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. The original span, opened in and with a length of 4 miles 6. The parallel span was added in The bridge is named for William Preston Lane Jr.
The bridge is part of U. Route 50 US 50 and US , and serves as a vital link in both routes. As part of US , it serves as part of an alternative route for Interstate 95 travelers, between northern Delaware and the Washington, D.
The bridge is busy and often congested with traffic , particularly during peak hours and summer months. The bridge's role in transportation was filled by ferries before the first span's construction. The bridge has fostered the state's economic growth, particularly of Queen Anne's County and Ocean City. Further expansion of the bridge has been discussed since , with a task force being formed to investigate the possibility of building a third span. It is possible that studies may have been conducted as early as the s into the possibility of a bridge across the Chesapeake Bay.
Plans for the new bridge were made, but construction was canceled following the Wall Street Crash of with the collapse of the American economy and resulting Great Depression of the s. Ferries were used as the main mode of transportation across the bay from the colonial period until the completion of the bridge. The first service ran from Annapolis to Broad Creek on Kent Island , roughly where the bridge is today.
In July , the Claiborne—Annapolis Ferry Company added a new route, one running from Annapolis to Matapeake , a significantly shorter distance. Two years later, the commission moved the western terminus of the old Annapolis—Matapeake ferry to Sandy Point later adjacent to Sandy Point State Park , shortening the cross-bay trip.
