Baltimore Harbor Tunnel

For Omero C. Catan, of Teaneck, N.J., a mustachioed, cigar-smoking, catering-service worker who was known as "Mr. First," the opening of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel on Nov. 30, 1957, was just another "first" in a lifetime of collecting firsts.However, for motorists, the 1.7-mile twin-lane tunnel connecting Fairfield with Canton, one of Maryland's greatest engineering achievements, meant the end to the most notorious traffic bottleneck in the Middle Atlantic -- one that had given Baltimore the reputation as a place to be avoided when traveling north and south.

Two separate traffic accidents caused major delays in the Baltimore region early Wednesday morning — one affecting southbound traffic on Interstate 295 in Anne Arundel County and the other affecting southbound traffic on Interstate 795 in Baltimore County. An accident involving one vehicle on southbound Interstate 295 between Route 175 and Route 32 in Anne Arundel County stalled traffic headed toward Washington early Wednesday, closing multiple lanes for about 7 hours, according to U.S. Park Police.

As of 8:30 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow around Fulton Avenue and Laurens Street, due to an accident. A disabled vehicle was obstructing traffic on I-895 northbound at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore City. Traffic was slow on I-895 at the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, I-895 was closed in both directions at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore City, due to an accident involving seven vehicles. Accidents were slowing traffic on Russell Street at Bayard Street in Baltimore City, Route 100 westbound near Catherine Avenue in Anne Arundel County, and Erdman Avenue and Parklawn Avenue in Baltimore City. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs. Maryland Transit Administration bus 35 has been diverted.

All lanes through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel have been reopened since a burning tire on a car headed northbound earlier in the day led transportation officials to close the thoroughfare. The Maryland Transportation Authority quickly had reopened the southbound lanes, but for hours had detoured northbound lanes at Childs Street, the last exit for drivers before they enter the tunnel. Cheryl Sparks, a department spokeswoman, said the tire fire caused a lot of smoke but no injuries.

Two separate traffic accidents caused major delays in the Baltimore region early Wednesday morning — one affecting southbound traffic on Interstate 295 in Anne Arundel County and the other affecting southbound traffic on Interstate 795 in Baltimore County. An accident involving one vehicle on southbound Interstate 295 between Route 175 and Route 32 in Anne Arundel County stalled traffic headed toward Washington early Wednesday, closing multiple lanes for about 7 hours, according to U.S. Park Police.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow on the inner loop of I-695 near I-95, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on the inner loop of I-695 near the Jones Falls Expressway, Route 30 near Route 482 in Hampstead, Belair Road southbound near Route 152 in Fallston, and Route 7 near Golden Ring Road in Baltimore County. A disabled vehicle was slowing traffic on I-895 northbound near the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on Route 100 eastbound at Telegraph Road, due to an accident. An accident was slowing traffic at Route 136 and Cool Spring Road in Harford County. Traffic was slow on I-895 southbound at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, due to a disabled vehicle in the road. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs.

Four people, including an 8-year-old boy, were transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center on Wednesday morning after a vehicle traveling north on Interstate 895 crossed a highway median into oncoming traffic, according to Maryland Transportation Authority police. A total of six vehicles were involved in the subsequent collision, which occurred shortly before 8 a.m. just north of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and closed the highway in both directions, said Sgt. Jonathan Green, a police spokesman.

A selection of road advisories for the Baltimore metro region. Anne Arundel County Bay Bridge 1) Westbound: One lane will be closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday, weather permitting; two lanes will be closed at 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with the full span closed at 10 p.m. All lanes will reopen by 5 a.m. the next day. Eastbound: The eastbound span will carry two-way traffic during complete closures of the westbound span. Toll lane 1 will be closed for a plaza widening project, and two other lanes will be designated E-ZPass only.

Four people, including an 8-year-old boy, were transported to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center on Wednesday morning after a vehicle traveling north on Interstate 895 crossed a highway median into oncoming traffic, according to Maryland Transportation Authority police. A total of six vehicles were involved in the subsequent collision, which occurred shortly before 8 a.m. just north of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and closed the highway in both directions, said Sgt. Jonathan Green, a police spokesman.

As of 9 a.m. Wednesday, traffic was slow on Route 100 eastbound at Telegraph Road, due to an accident. An accident was slowing traffic at Route 136 and Cool Spring Road in Harford County. Traffic was slow on I-895 southbound at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, due to a disabled vehicle in the road. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. Monument Street is closed between Wolfe Street and Patterson Park Avenue in East Baltimore, due to sinkhole repairs.

As of 9 a.m. Tuesday, traffic was slow on the inner loop of I-695 near I-95, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on the inner loop of I-695 near the Jones Falls Expressway, Route 30 near Route 482 in Hampstead, Belair Road southbound near Route 152 in Fallston, and Route 7 near Golden Ring Road in Baltimore County. A disabled vehicle was slowing traffic on I-895 northbound near the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Traffic was slow on I-895 near the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity.

As of 8:30 a.m. Monday, traffic was slow around Fulton Avenue and Laurens Street, due to an accident. A disabled vehicle was obstructing traffic on I-895 northbound at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel in Baltimore City. Traffic was slow on I-895 at the Steel Bridge, due to construction activity. There were no major delays reported on Baltimore area transit systems.

It's amazing how quickly months of caked-on tunnel grime can be whisked away with a jug of Soot-B-Gone and a $250,000 Mercedes-Benz. The potent one-two punch is how the Maryland Transportation Authority keeps tiled walls in the Fort McHenry and Baltimore Harbor tunnels glistening from the beginning of April through Thanksgiving. For the overnight scrubbing operation, workers mix the anti-soot soap with hundreds of gallons of water and place the solution on the backs of two bug-eyed, German-engineered trucks called Unimogs.

All lanes through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel have been reopened since a burning tire on a car headed northbound earlier in the day led transportation officials to close the thoroughfare. The Maryland Transportation Authority quickly had reopened the southbound lanes, but for hours had detoured northbound lanes at Childs Street, the last exit for drivers before they enter the tunnel. Cheryl Sparks, a department spokeswoman, said the tire fire caused a lot of smoke but no injuries.

Debby Ness Toll collector Maryland Transportation Authority/Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Salary --$17.41 an hour Age --52 Years on the job --13 How she got started --After working as both a waitress and deli clerk, Ness said she saw an advertisement in the paper recruiting toll collectors. She decided to apply because of the stability and benefits that came with a state job. She began working the tolls at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and still does. However, she has filled in at the Fort McHenry Tunnel and Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The last two-lane segment of the Beltway is about to become history.State officials today break ground on a $89.5 million construction project that will double the northern access to the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carries I-695 traffic across the Patapsco River.The 17-year-old Key Bridge is the least traveled route across Baltimore's harbor. The bridge handles one-fourth the traffic of most other parts of the Beltway. Its average daily load of 25,000 vehicles compares with more than 100,000 along most of I-695.

On the north end of the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, where northbound drivers emerge from the dark and southbound motorists descend into it, stands one of the oldest and most decrepit parts of Maryland's toll-financed transportation network. The bridge called the Canton Viaduct carries Interstate 895 for two-thirds of a mile over city streets and railroad tracks and ducks between the concrete pillars that support Interstate 95. The Maryland Transportation Authority has at least a half-dozen projects under way or soon to begin at the Harbor Tunnel, Fort McHenry Tunnel and Key Bridge.