Best Time to Travel Bay Bridge Over July 4 Weekend

State highway officials are urging drivers to travel the Bay Bridge at off-peak hours over the Fourth of July weekend to help mitigate delays.

New lower toll rates took effect Wednesday. The new cash toll rate for two-axle vehicles at the Bay Bridge is $4 and the new E-ZPass Maryland rate is $2.50. Visit mdta.maryland.gov and click on Toll Rate Calculator.

Weather permitting, the Maryland Transportation Authority will implement two-way traffic operations to help alleviate eastbound delays on the bridge.

The MDTA offers the following travel tips for the holiday weekend:

Travel off-peak when heading to and from the Eastern Shore. The best times to travel the Bay Bridge this weekend include:

• Thursday - After 10 p.m.
• Friday - Before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
• Saturday, 4th of July - Before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.
• Sunday -Before 10 a.m. and after 10 p.m.

Check traffic conditions before you hit the road:

• Call 1-877-BAYSPAN (229-7726) for 24/7 Bay Bridge traffic conditions.
• Visit baybridge.com to view traffic cameras and to sign up for email alerts.
• Follow the MDTA at twitter.com/TheMDTA and facebook.com/TheMDTA.
• Ease your travel with E-ZPass. Visit ezpassmd.com to enroll on-line and for a list of E-ZPass “On the Go” retail locations.
• Know Before You Go - To view traffic cameras on MDTA roadways, visit mdta.maryland.gov. Call 511 or visit MD511.org for statewide travel information.