Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Gov. Thomas Johnson Bridge, Solomons, Md., December 2008 | |
| Coordinates | 38°19′35″N 76°28′17″W / 38.326306°N 76.471453°W |
| Carries | 2 lanes of  MD 4 |
| Crosses | Lower Patuxent River |
| Official name | Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge |
| Other name(s) | Thomas Johnson Bridge, Solomons Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Height | 140 feet |
| History | |
| Opened | December 17, 1977[citation needed] |
| Location | |
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The Governor Thomas Johnson Memorial Bridge (also referred to as the Thomas Johnson Bridge and the Solomons Bridge) is a 1.37-mile (2.20 km) 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, saw construction start in 1972 and opened to traffic on December 17, 1977.
The bridge, carrying an average of 33,000 vehicles a day on Maryland Route 4 (MD 4), is one of two crossings of the Patuxent River in Southern Maryland (the other is the Benedict Bridge approximately 20 miles up river, where MD 231 connects Calvert County and Charles County).
The north end of the bridge, on the Calvert side, is located in Solomons. Just prior to the bridge, MD 2-4 narrows from four lanes to two, and MD 2 exits the highway, passing under the bridge and heading toward downtown Solomons. MD 4 continues onto the bridge itself and over the Patuxent River.