traveling restrictions

Second Chance wrote:

ependydad wrote:

Second Chance wrote:
We travel north-south (and vice versa) through Baltimore frequently. I always go around the west side of Loop 695. Stay off the F. Scott Key bridge on the east side, too. Going the west loop adds 15 - 20 minutes to our travel and about the same number of years to my life.

Rob

Other than the toll, why stay off the Francis Scott Key bridge?

I have flown lower patterns in private aircraft than on that bridge. The lanes are very narrow and, when next to an 18-wheeler with me in the right hand lane, I had about 8 inches of clearance on either side (barrier/drop-off to the water on the right; big rig on the left). This was verified by my wife who follows behind in the Toyota. When we got through the toll booth on the other side, my fingers and knuckles were throbbing from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Besides having to pay the toll, the route also didn't save any time from I-95 south of Baltimore to Aberdeen Proving Ground north of the city. We've stuck with the west loop ever since.

Rob

Good info. I felt that way with the Harry P. Nice Bridge on 301 between Maryland and Virginia across the Potomac. That freaking bridge gives me the heebie-jeebies. It's tight- one lane in each direction. It's straight up, straight down. I towed it with my pop-up and later with my fifth wheel... they both sucked!

We've done the F. Scott Key bridge a few times- I prefer it over the traffic of the west side of the beltway. Never noticed the tightness- I wonder if I've just not had an 18-wheeler beside me. (Definitely don't mean to diminish what you experienced.)