CHARLES COUNTY, Md. — Out with the old and in with the new is the theme in Charles County, Maryland Wednesday as the new Nice bridge was opened for the first time, just a day after the decision was made to demolish the old bridge, just parallel of it.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan lead a ribbon cutting ceremony, which was hosted by Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), for the new Governor Harry W. Nice/Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge at 10 a.m. on Oct. 12.
The bridge, which simplistically is known as Nice-Middleton Bridge, is replacing an 82-year-old bridge with what Hogan called a "state-of-the-art Potomac River crossing between Maryland and Virginia." The development of the bridge was also stated to be on budget and done ahead of schedule, as it was previously slated to be open in 2023.
The new bridge will feature four lanes compared to the previous two lane bridge - doubling the capacity. The bridge design includes more than $2 million in features to accommodate lane sharing for bicyclists, who will be able to use the bridge in early 2023.
"Today, we delivered to Marylanders and Virginians a wider, safer, and better Potomac River Crossing on US 301," Gov. Hogan said in a Twitter post. "The new Nice-Middleton Bridge represents what is possible when we work together across all levels of government to get big things done."
The bridge, which will open to traffic on Oct. 13, guided its' first passengers Wednesday morning. Classic cars slowly guided across the bridge with the governor riding in the first car in the line of traffic. From one side of the bridge to the other, the governor rode in a yellow convertible with Maryland flags attached to the grill of the car, showing pride from one state line to the other.
The joy of the new bridge comes after bittersweet news for some about the old bridge being demolished. According to multiple reports, a coalition of cycling groups attempted to block the state from destroying the old Nice-Middleton Bridge. The idea was to keep the bridge up to be used and preserved for recreation use.
A federal judge in Baltimore announced late Tuesday that the efforts of the coalition failed to meet the high legal threshold needed to block the demolition. Lawyers for the state also said that the demolition will begin later this week.