1,271
edits
Changes
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
[[Image:Thomas-Johnson-bridge-1.jpg|right|thumbnail]]
The '''Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge''' (also referred to as the '''Thomas Johnson Bridge''' and the '''Solomons Bridge''') is a one and a half mile long bridge in Maryland over the lower [[Patuxent River]] joining Calvert and St. Mary’s counties. The bridge, named for the first governor of Maryland,
Thomas Johnson, was built in 1977, and officially opened in January 1978.<ref>{{cite web
}}</ref>
The bridge is one of two crossings of the [[Patuxent River]] in [[Southern Maryland]]. (The other is the [[Benedict Bridge]] approximately 20 miles up river, where [[Maryland Route 231]] connects [[Calvert County, Maryland|Calvert County]] and [[Charles County, Maryland|Charles County]].)
[[Maryland Route 4]] is the highway which crosses the [[Patuxent River|Patuxent]] at the Thomas Johnson Bridge. The north end of the bridge, on the Calvert side, is located in [[Solomons, Maryland|Solomons]]. Just prior to the bridge, [[Maryland Route 4|Route 2-4]] narrows from four lanes to two, and [[Maryland Route 2|Route 2]] exits off under the bridge and heads toward downtown [[Solomons, Maryland|Solomons]]. [[Maryland Route 4|Route 4]] continues onto the bridge itself and over the [[Patuxent River]].
==Description==
The bridge itself only has two lanes but rises to a height of approximately 135 tall, making a trip over the bridge in windy weather somewhat nerve-wreaking for wary travelers. On the other hand, the view from the top of the bridge is quite impressive, as one can see the entire town of [[Solomons, Maryland|Solomons]], the runways at the [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River|Patuxent River Naval Air Station]], and the [[Chesapeake Bay]]. After reaching its apex, the bridge heads down to [[St. Mary's County, Maryland|St. Mary's County]]. However, the bridge does not end once it reaches the banks of the [[Patuxent River]], but rather continues for approximately a quarter of a mile over the tributary of Town Creek until finally reaching land on the south side. [[Maryland Route 4|Route 4]] remains a two-lane road from that point on, intersecting with [[Maryland Route 235]] approximately three miles south, and then continuing on to [[Leonardtown, Maryland|Leonardtown]] for ten more miles.
