The head of the agency that operates the Bay Bridge said yesterday that two-way operations on the twin spans would continue even after Sunday's fatal accident that left a westbound tractor-trailer in the water after an eastbound passenger car apparently swerved into its lane.
"Two-way traffic is not the optimum way to do business," Ronald Freeland, executive secretary of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said at a news conference called yesterday to discuss the first crash in the bridge's 56-year history in which a vehicle left the roadway and plunged into the Chesapeake Bay.
But, he added, "I don't know that we're in a position to totally eliminate it."
Freeland said that two-way operations on the spans is usually required for construction and maintenance and is carried out at off-peak hours. But on other occasions, he said, two-way traffic is allowed on the three-lane westbound span to relieve congestion.
Truck driver John Robert Short, 57, of Willards was killed in the early-morning crash, which occurred on the eastbound span while the westbound span was closed.
Chief Marcus Brown of the Maryland Transportation Authority Police said that of 259 crashes on the Bay Bridge over a four-year period, 24 percent occurred during two-way operations.
However, Brown said he did not have information on what percentage of total time the bridge was in two-way operations - making it difficult to put the crash statistics in context.
Brown said that in Sunday's crash, the driver of an eastbound Chevrolet Camaro crossed the center line and sideswiped the cab of the 18-wheeler. He said the truck swerved across the eastbound lane and slid atop the concrete barrier before the swinging of the trailer broke through the wall.
The truck rolled off the 34-inch-high wall and into the water below, Brown said. Short's body was recovered later that day. Police said yesterday that they did not have an autopsy report and do not know whether he was killed by the impact or by drowning.
Freeland said yesterday that investigators believe the truck was traveling about 55 mph before impact. Cheryl Sparks, spokeswoman for the authority, said the speed limit during two-way operations on the eastbound span is 40 mph.
Doug Hecox, a spokesman for the Federal Highway Administration, said concrete barriers of the type used on the Bay Bridge represent the best technology traffic engineers have for use on bridges.
