Best times to cross Maryland’s Bay Bridge during Memorial Day weekend

Record number of drivers expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend

A record number of drivers, including many in the Washington, D.C. region, are expected to hit the roads this Memorial Day holiday weekend.

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - More than 330,000 vehicles are expected to cross the Bay Bridge this Memorial Day weekend. Congestion might seem inevitable – but it all depends on what time of day you make the drive, officials say.

According to the Maryland Transportation Authority, drivers can expect heavy traffic in both directions - often simultaneously - at the bridge and along the US-50 corridor throughout the entire holiday travel period. Especially during peak hours.

The best times to cross will be off-peak, generally before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m., they say. Here’s the list of off-peak times for each day of the holiday period:

Eastbound

Thursday, May 23 – before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

Friday, May 24 – before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

Saturday, May 25 – before 7 a.m. and after 4 p.m.

Sunday, May 26 – before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

Memorial Day Monday, May 27 – before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

Tuesday, May 28 – before 7 a.m. and after 7 p.m.

Westbound

Thursday, May 23 – before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Friday, May 24 – before 8 a.m. and after 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 25 – before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

Sunday, May 26 – before 11 a.m. and after 5 p.m.

Memorial Day Monday, May 27 – before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

Tuesday, May 28 – before 6 a.m. and after 6 p.m.

The bridge is the traditional link to Maryland’s Eastern Shore for many in the Washington, D.C. region. Officials say the main cause of gridlock across the span is traffic volume exceeding lane capacity during peak travel hours.

Two-way operations are often in place to help ease congestion. Officials urge drivers to familiarize themselves with the bridge’s lane signals before making the trip across:

RED X: Means the lane is closed. You MUST NOT enter or travel in any lane over which a RED X signal is shown.

YELLOW X: Prepare to vacate the lane beneath the YELLOW X signal and move to a lane with a DOWNWARD GREEN ARROW.

DOWNWARD GREEN ARROW: Motorists can drive in the lane beneath the GREEN ARROW signal.