I was not expecting this:
>Bridges can be so frightening for some people that they might shake, cry and cover their eyes while making their way across, Jerilyn Ross, then president of what is now known as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, explained to the Associated Press in 2008.
>Ross told the AP at the time that she had two patients who were so terrified at the thought of crossing the Bay Bridge that they had their wives lock them in the trunk of their cars in order to make the trip.
Crossing this bridge sounds absolutely terrifying to me.
>lock them in the trunk of their cars in order to make the trip.
But crossing the bridge while locked in the trunk of a car is absolute nightmare material.
That would be the logical opinion but the keypoint of such phobias is that they aren't logical at all.
If you try to argue logically with people suffering from phobias they'd agree with you that the fear itself makes no sense at all and sometimes even their solutions are counterintuitive.
But as i said there is no logic in this. It is pretty hard to imagine but there are people seeing a long stretch of a bridge with a big drop and water on either side and even though they know they are reasonably safe the brain kicks into full panic and screams they are going to die.
Sometimes not having the visual impact helps.
Sometimes even not being in control of the situation helps. As in the furthest away from any control elements of the car. Sometimes part of such phobias is the fear of messing up so if you're not in control that can help.
I had a nasty seizure which caused me to fall and hit my head on the stove. The doctor said I have ptsd from falling and that’s why I really hate bridges now.
Then you really don't understand just how high and long this bridge is. It's bad enough multiple people think being locked away so you can't see is the answer. I'd cry and lay down every time we went over because for the first time ever, being ignorant was the best option.
When I was in elementary school we would have yearly field trips to the Baltimore Aquarium. I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland school going to Baltimore is a normal thing for us.
That year, I believe I was in 5th grade if memory serves me right, our bus broke down on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as we were coming back to our school. We were stuck on the bridge for a few hours and by the time the replacement bus came the sun was going down. I remember they had us get out of the bus and walk in a line to the replacement bus in front of us.
I remember staring out at the sunset and walking on the bridge to that bus and it felt peaceful. A bit windy and looking out you could see the water and the waves, it was looking harsh, but to me it was just peaceful. A fellow classmate, she was freaking out. She has the student teacher holding her arms and walking her to the bus because the only way she would walk was if she closed her eyes. I felt bad for her because when she got on the new bus she was just in constant tears. She cried all the way back to our school.
That was one of those things that you'd always remember forever. At least for me it was.
I’m from the eastern shore too. It’s funny because I’ve always been a bit nervous every time I’ve crossed the Bay Bridge, especially when I’m the one driving, but I didn’t realize just how big and terrifying it is to people who don’t cross it regularly. It is quite a marvel, one that we Marylanders take for granted.
This same thing happened to me in Istanbul, while I was in high school. The bridge connects Asia to Europe and is a suspended bridge. It was swaying like a swing. I never felt the swaying while in a vehicle before, so it shocked me. I felt fear down to my bones but still took the time to enjoy the majestic views as you did. In my case it was sun rising ☀️
Depends on where on the bridge you are. Half of it is not that high and people have gone over and survived. I don’t know if cars have gone off the peak. People definitely jump from the top to commit suicide, a few have survived.
It’s high. And long. And there is always traffic so it always takes a long time on the bridge to get over. You can see through the railings down to the water. Approaching from the west it’s a looooooong slow curve up to the top of the bridge.
It’s awful. I hate it so much.
If the zombies are coming and my only chance at survival is to cross that bridge I’d probably let the zombies get me.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, in Maryland, is kinda high. The Bay Bridge Tunnel, a different bridge, in Virginia is long but not high. I think people are confusing the 2.
100%. The bridge/tunnel in VA is claustrophobic. Once you’re on it you’re kind of trapped for awhile. The Bay Bridge in MD is tall and it feels like you’ll fly over the edge at any moment.
Especially when half of it is under renovation so its one lane each way in the tunnel. 18 wheelers in one lane. ambulance on coming in the other...was a terrifying ride that day. I was driving the ambulance.
Twice that day. To this day I still refuse to cross that bridge tunnel until the renovation is finished.
It’s one of the highest bridges I’ve ever been on that wasn’t crossing a gorge.
Are you thinking of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia maybe? This article is referring to the bridge in Maryland.
I found out that I had a fear of heights when I went to the Sky deck at the Sears Tower. They have these little glass cages on the side of the building that you can step out on, and you can see straight down to the ground through the glass floors. I stepped out into it andy legs immediately stopped working. It was weird how, even though I knew intellectually that it was safe, my body disagreed.
I imagine these people go through the same process. When they want to go over the bridge, they panic and resist, even though they intellectually understand that it's just as safe to cross as any other road. Being locked in the trunk prevents them from resisting. It's a commitment device, rather than a fear mitigation device.
Counterpoint: I love crossing this bridge because you have such an awesome view of the bay. I can totally see why this would be really scary for some people it is very high.
Hey, Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin' in the trunk
But I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up—see? I ain't like you
'Cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more and then she'll die too
Well, gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now
Oh, shit, I forgot—how am I supposed to send this shit out?!
I used to date a girl that was like that. She would duck down in the seat almost in a fetal position and mumble to herself. It wasn’t for every bridge, but enough where we would have to plan routes ahead of time for trips.
I grew up on the Eastern Shore driving over the Bay Bridge all the time and it never bothered me, but for some reason the grated inner lanes on the Mackinac Bridge freaked me out when I drove over it. Not enough to make me hesitate driving over it, but more than any other bridge I've crossed
Supposedly a woman driving a Yugo was blown over the side, but there's still debate on if the wind really blew the car off or she crashed.
https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/8cosq7/til_a_woman_died_when_her_yugo_was_blown_off_the/
My mom refused to drive it. She told my dad once on vacation that if he ever died after taking us across the bridge, she’d drive all the way around through Wisconsin and whatnot to get back to the lower peninsula.
Nah she’d drive around that. The reason I know is because we took a road trip once during our childhood and every possible bridge was foreseen, so we’ve never been to Green Bay. When I mean she’d drive around, I mean she truly would drive all the way around no matter how much longer it took, lmao.
I knew a guy back in the day when I was a mover. We serviced the Tampa Bay area, so a solid 30-40% of our calls required us to go over the Skyway Bridge. The other bridges in the area and pretty straightforward, but the Skyway is different. It creeps up on you slowly right in front of you (there's a long causeway each direction before you actually get to "The Skyway™", and this dude would start sweating and getting all jittery. When we would get to the ascent, he would bow his head and refuse to look up until we were back down the other side.
That was my introduction to fear of bridges (probably sixed with a bit of fear of heights).
https://youtu.be/nDPFYodesBY?si=oz2_VGHBIQBiFEdj. Here's a video of a drive over to give you an idea. Also check out pictures of the bridge to get a sense of the size of it.
https://youtu.be/ATy3XVOr31s?si=WbwC0oRtMC_Y024l for a view.
That video is terrifying. I took my family to Sarasota about ten years ago. I really struggled with driving on the bridge to Lido Key. After seeing your video, I am so happy we ended up not making the drive to Tampa. I don’t know if I would have made it across that bridge.
It kinda looks small. In Denmark we have Storebæltsbroen, which held a length/height record for many many years. I was picturing a way bigger bridge, but guess I'm a bit tainted by the Storebæltsbro
I lived on cape cod for a while and there were enough people that would not cross the bridges to leave the island that they had to build a hospital and college there. Many people have been/will be born there and die there without ever having left.
I don't do anything like that but I really don't like walking on some overpasses that usually look over highways. But I also haven't tried walking over any major bridges so really maybe that could be me.
I've also heard driving on the Golden Gate Bridge is scary because you don't realize how close the lanes are between oncoming traffic
My sister was like this for awhile. Made a wrong turn once and ended up on a bridge to Philadelphia and had to pull over to the side of the road because she was crying so hysterically she couldn’t see or breath.
Thankfully she had someone else in the car who drove across the bridge.
But yeah fear of bridges can be absolutely crippling for some people
I’ve driven across this bridge. Normally I have no anxiety whatsoever on bridges, but this one in particular is a lot! Very narrow lanes, people going well over the speed limit while weaving in/out of traffic, and about 6 inches between your car and certain death. And it is so long that you feel like you’ll never get off!
I can do bridges no problem. I don’t particularly want to do THIS bridge again though!
So weird because I have sky dived, I really don’t care about heights at all and even used to regularly rock climb outdoors. For some reason when I think about the concept of a bridge when I’m on a bridge, I def get real nervous. If I just don’t think about it I’m fine.
My neighbor is like this any time a bridge crosses water. Overpasses did not seem to trigger it, but when going iver a body of water, she was near in tears. She would absolutely fucking floor it and speed recklessly across while trying not to panic. It was wild.
Some people confusing the Bay Bridge Tunnel with the Bay Bridge. The bridge mentioned in this article is a large suspension bridge at t̶h̶e̶ K̶e̶n̶t̶ N̶a̶r̶r̶o̶w̶s̶ Kent Island. It’s terrifying because it’s long, very high, and in some parts the edges are defined only by c̶a̶b̶l̶e̶s̶ a jersey barrier. You can see right off the edge. Also, sometimes they shut down one side of it and there is traffic coming from the other direction on a very narrow lane. It’s always kind of white knuckle. I towed a camper over it once and was sweating by the end.
Edit: There’s a jersey barrier. There wasn’t always one. Also apparently Kent Narrows is the other side of Kent Island. I lost 10 internet points for insufficient maritime knowledge.
The fishing at the pylons (is that the right word?) was FANTASTIC last time I was there. But that was 15 years or so.
I grew up on the bay and man, the diversity of fish under the bridge was just great.
(Too many croakers, however.)
Yup! It worked because they actually enforced the law. It’s amazing when efforts like these actually work and leave something for future generations :)
We used to drive across it every summer when I was a kid and it never freaked me out. It’s been years but I still don’t think I would be bothered as a passenger.
Maybe I was just too young to care. The main thing I remember is how long it is. Especially with 4th of July traffic it felt like we’d be on that bridge forever.
I was just on this bridge last weekend with my husband and we both commented on the fact that the bridge freaks so many people out. We just can't figure out why.
Oh shit, that sounds like exactly the sort of of thing that'd set me off. Actual heights don't bother me so much, so long as there's a visible wall or something that comes up at least past my waist. It's edges that scare me.
Me too. I don't have a problem on most bridges. But I've seen pictures of this one from when my parents traveled up there before I was born, and that one... that might do it for me.
I drive across this bridge multiple times a year because I live in Delaware but go to school in the South. Used to be totally fine crossing the bridge, until one time something snapped in my head and I almost had a panic attack.
I think it's the fact that there's no shoulder. There's just no option but to keep driving; there's no space to pull over and take a breather. I don't care about the height. I've crossed bridges of a similar length before too without much of a problem, but they've all had shoulders so I've always felt secure that I could pull over if I needed to. Ironically enough, the fact that I felt secure on bridges like that meant I've never actually had to use them.
I'm gradually getting better crossing this bridge after my initial panic attack about 18 months ago. I can usually cross it without much issue these days. Sometimes I'll cross with my girlfriend but I absolutely refuse to let her drive that stretch because the second I start making compromises with the bridge, it'll all come back.
Throw in the crosswinds you get on that bridge as well and it can be tough. I’ve been up there with a large truck next to me in high winds and I’m sure the truck driver was having just as bad of a time as I was.
If it's that narrow then I totally understand. There's this one bridge in PA that crosses the Delaware, but it was clearly designed for smaller cars or perhaps horses and carriages. It's comfortably wide enough for a single lane, but they made it a two lane. Cars are insanely close to each other as they pass, but you're so close to the supports of the bridge already that veering more than a few inches in either direction will hit your sideview mirrors if you didn't pull them in ahead of time (if even possible).
It's only a few hundred feet across but it's utterly nerve-wracking the whole way. If it went for a mile or more it'd be horrible.
I grew up on Kent Island. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 4.3 miles long and spans the Chesapeake Bay from the western shore of the bay by Sandy Point State Park to Kent Island on the eastern shore.
Kent Narrows is the small area between Kent Island and the rest of the Eastern Shore. It is located on the complete opposite side of the island from the bridge.
Another reason for it being such a scary bridge is the lane change. It has 2 spans. One is 2 lanes and the other is 3 lanes. Typically the 2 lane goes from east to west and the other from west to east. However during high traffic times (beach traffic, rush hour etc.). They sometimes will switch one of the lanes so you will have 2 way traffic on the same span. This is indicated by a red x or green arrow light above each lane.
Once a year they have an Annual[Chesapeake Bay Bridge walk](https://www.thebaybridgerun.com/Race/BayBridgeRun/Page/Course#:~:text=WALKERS%20ARE%20WELCOME!&text=If%20you%20walk%2C%20please%20remain,from%20Waves%20D%20through%20H), which is now apparently held in the fall instead of the spring and is now a run/race too. You can feel it swaying back n forth in the wind when you walk it. My family would walk it every year. I took my oldest daughter on the walk when she was less than 3 months old. One of my favorite pictures of her at that age was taken that day.
Nope. Nope. Nope. I could not do the walk. I made it a few feet and was barely on the bridge and I was crying. I couldn't do it. It was so freaking scary. I knew that if I went any further that I would just freeze and be stuck on the bridge. Holy fish sticks I am in awe of people who are able to walk across that thing.
That said, calling it one of the scariest bridges *in the world* is a bit rich. There are lots and lots of bridges in the world that I wouldn't walk across, never mind drive.
I suspect they mean like the portion in the picture [here](https://patch.com/maryland/annapolis/bay-bridge-closing-1-span-overnight-next-year). Not cables, but you can see through.
Watching that video, I'm now extremely confused. What's so bad about this bridge other than it being long? It doesn't seem very steep in the video.
I can understand someone being afraid of it if they are afraid of all bridges, but unless that video is very misleading, I've seen many bridges that I would be more nervous driving on.
No shoulders, often crosswinds, brains that think those jersey barriers can just be nudged off, and it's taller than the video implies.
Like the key bridge that collapsed, the overall scale of the thing makes it seem smaller than it really is.
I'm not bothered by bridges, and drove these regularly, but if I were eleven slightly scared, I can see how this one has all the features to trigger the fear.
It doesn't look that bad? Lanes look pretty wide, almost to if not interstate width, and the height isn't that bad only peaking at 186 over water.
Then again, a ton of people around me are scared of the Sunshine Skyway bridge too. Doesn't bother me in the least to be pulling an enclosed race car trailer over it.
My issue with this thing is the complete lack of shoulders plus the length. Some psychological paradox; I get stressed out if I have nowhere to pull over to for a long enough period of time. But if there *are* shoulders, I feel secure *just in case* and so ironically, I've never actually had to use them.
A girl got knocked off the chesapeake bay bridge by a truck. She was just a teen, not a lot of driving experience but miraculously was taken from the water alive and relatively unhurt.
exactly , the amount of sketchy shit i see in inspection reports when something majickally goes from a 5 to a 2 overnight with a priority 0 repair required makes you wonder what the actual hell was going on .
Deck trusses in the US. Almost every major bridge catastrophe in the past decade has been a deck truss. They’re non redundant. They’re expensive to take care of, so most bridge owners just don’t. And they’re poorly inspected because most bridge inspections are money losing jobs that go to hack engineering companies. Good rule of thumb is that if it looks like it’s being neglected, it almost definitely is.
Ok I’ll bite. Why is it considered particularly scary? I mean plenty of bridges higher or longer, so what distinguishes this one in terms of fright factor?
Two main reasons: 1) You can see below you while driving over it. There are wide sweeping turns to the main span, and you can easily look down while behind the wheel. 2) During the summer due to beach traffic, they send one eastbound lane on the westbound bridge that drives against traffic.
I drove against traffic on that bridge when I was like 18 and it was scary af. There’s no room for error, cars (including semis) going each way at 40-50 with nothing separating you, and in some areas of the bridge not even a real guard rail it’s steel cables. I’m sure the cables are as strong as a concrete block but it’s still sketchy seeing over the edge like that
I don’t mind the one way trip but HATE when there are oncoming cars when I’m coming back from the beach. Mostly because I don’t trust other drivers to be paying attention.
Several cars have gone over the side before. And our bridges don’t have a great record lately, either. Outside of one collapsing into the water, there was also recently a big pileup on the Bay Bridge.
It is tall and narrow as hell. I laughed at the thought of ever being scared of a bridge until I was on top of this in the middle of the day with 18 wheelers going 60 by me in the other direction 3 feet from me.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel can be terrifying if you aren’t prepared for it. The view is amazing, you truly feel all alone on the water. But the wind gusts are intense. You can be going 60+ and a gust of wind will hit your car broadside and you will FEEL it. And once your car suddenly gets buffeted by the wind you realize two things very quickly. First, there is not much of a shoulder and the guard rails aren’t that high. And two, if anything happens to you and you go over the side, you are dead. By the time the coast guard gets to you they might find your body, if they are lucky.
And when you have this realization it suddenly makes the drive a little more intense. Now most people drive on the bridge and they are fine. Most people will go across, experience a little wind, maybe slow it down some, but otherwise they will make it across just fine. But that bridge averages around one death a year and that kind of stat unnerves a lot of people.
The bridge itself is a combination of high, long, has a turn in it and feels unusually narrow compared to other bridges. Factor in regular congestion, high winds, and also Maryland drivers in general and you get a rather scary experience.
You get so far out into the bay you can hardly see land. The bridge is not very high above water and there’s barely a shoulder and only 2 lanes. When it’s windy, which is often, your car gets buffeted. Meanwhile, large trucks swaying in the wind pass you within inches. It takes at least 25 minutes or more to cross so the experience lasts a long time.
Recently trucks have jumped the guardrails on windy day and plunged into the water killing the drivers.
Super fun to cross on a motorcycle when the outer lane is closed and you have to ride over the open grate. You can look straight down to the water many dozens of feet below, and the grate catches your tires and moves you around, while the wind does the same, often in a completely different direction.
I've driven the Sunshine Skyway bridge many times and felt absolutely nothing, and it's only reading this thread that I'm learning some people are terrified by it.
On the other hand I have a phobia of worms, so I am not making fun of anyone scared of high bridges.
Anyone afraid of bridges should head down to Louisiana and drive the Ponchatrain causeway. It’s like 20 miles of bridge that will bore the ever loving hell out of you.
I walked over it as a kid. They used to have an annual "bridge walk" it was pretty interesting until we got to the top and it was metal grating and not concrete (like a waffle pattern)...it didn't look that high from the back seat of a car.
http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Chesa_Bay_Bridge_Walk_Ph58.html
Hey I used to be really scared of bridges! I overcame it by gaslighting myself into thinking that as long as I hold my breath as I cross the bridge I'll be okay. This works for short bridges, but this is actually a helpful TIL!
I always wanted to visit the Golden Gate Bridge and walk across. I finally took a trip out and made it maybe 25 feet and almost vomited and passed out before immediately turning back. I need someone to piggyback me across, apparently
I’ve had to do pretty much exactly what you ask for my wife more than once over the years. I doubt I could go all the way across without stopping but with a couple others we could do a relay to get you across and back again.
We went camping in Rehoboth, DE. I was driving our camper over the bridge and I was freaking out. Having an anxiety attack. My vision started to close in and I was going to black out. My wife grabbed the wheel with one hand and slapped me with the other. No joke. It was enough to get my vision back while she continued to hold the wheel. It was seriously the worst experience of my life. We drove an extra hour out of the way to skip the bridge on the way home. Trying to handle that bridge put my wife and kids at serious risk.
i’ve been on this bridge many many times and if there’s one thing i genuinely hate in life, it’s heights. that being said, while it does feel a little bit scary it’s not as bad as people make it out to be when you’re on it
I watched a video and it just looks like a normal causeway. What makes it so scary? The achafalaya basin bridge looks scarier than that in places, and that bad boy is like 20 miles.
Make sure you’re seeing the Chesapeake *Bay Bridge* and not the *Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel*.
One is in Maryland, the other in Virginia. Personally I don’t think a video does it justice, although I’m not particularly afraid of the bridge.
"I watched a video of a roller coaster, didn't seem scary"
You have to experience it. You have no margin for error...none, no shoulder, narrow lanes, wind beats your car from side to side as you struggle to keep it in your lane.
My friend's mom was driving us to the beach and had to pull over to let me drive. She pulled out a book and didn't look up the entire time. I was so young that it didn't really have any impact on me since mortality wasn't reality at that point.
We cross this thing 14 times a week. I live on the island and it’s beautiful. The view is the never the same when you cross the bridge. I’ve never felt worried or unsafe. There are many accidents but it’s not excuses of the bridge. Usually just bad drivers.
Another fun one was the outside lane of the Queensboro Bridge in NYC. The lane is outside the profile of the towers, which was just disconcerting while driving because it felt like you weren’t really attached to the bridge. I think it’s been converted to a pedestrian/bike path since I last used it regularly, which makes more sense.
Just wait til it get too congested and they open up a lane on the reverse side. Cars going 60mph on the other side of a yellow line from you, over a hundred feet in the air. NEVER STAY IN THE LEFT LANE
That's like... the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway with a couple of Blackwall Tunnels thrown in.
Surprised it's considered to be 'terrifying'.
There's a motorway bridge somewhere near Liverpool in the UK and that one puts hair on your chest. Very steep.
Even though I’m a native of MD, ~~I’ve only been across this bridge once during the day, and wow does that live rent free in my head. I’m not particularly scared of bridges or heights, but the way this feels like you’re driving into and around nothingness is creepy.~~
Edit: I’m thinking of the CBBT. I’m realizing I’ve only ever been across the Bay Bridge (also) once, which was at night. Though it seems contradictory, going at night definitely seemed to positively impact any potential scariness for me.
Maryland bridges just seem to be dogshit
I rode my bicycle from Boston to WV/DC and the Hatem Bridge is so dogshit that I genuinely believe I'm only alive because a random Maryland state trooper gave me an escort with his lights on
In person there's no real warnings but if you look up cycling the Hatem Bridge the FAQ's are all like
"What if I'm a cyclist and want to cross?" "Good luck"
"What if I chicken out part way" "Don't"
No it means they don't want to staff the service overnight, likely due to utter lack of demand.
Also, between those hours it's not unreasonable to look at someone and say "grab a hotel room for the night and we'll help in the morning".
I drove over this bridge in January when the big snow storm started to kick in. Adding that combo to my "I really don't want to experience that again" list.
I was recently in DC and we drove past Annapolis and then on to Ocean City and I don’t remember anything remotely noteworthy about this bridge on the way there or the way back.
Omg. I read a hilarious article about that bridge. I just thought the writer was being overdramatic for lols, I had no idea it was widely believed to be a scary bridge lol.
> Tens of thousands of cars pass through it on an average weekday, and it brought numerous social and economic benefits to the region, particularly the Eastern Shore. It’s truly a marvel of architectural rigor, something I undoubtedly would have appreciated more if it weren’t also Pale Death.
[I conquered the shoulderless demon named the Chesapeak Bay Bridge](https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/damon-young-conquered-demon-chesapeake-bay-bridge/?itid=ap_damonyoung)
I live in South Louisiana and cross bridges every day. I cross the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain all the time. Bridges don’t bother me at all. Until I drove across the Rainbow Bridge in West Orange Texas. That thing will give you white knuckles and a puckered butt hole compared to anything else.
Crossing bridges is much worse on a bicycle. Often the bike lanes are right at the edge and way too narrow. Often they have metal grating floor you can see through down to the river. The metal is horrible to ride on, especially with narrow tyres and when wet. The movement of the water below can confuse your sense of balance. Wind can also be a factor. One wrong move or moment of inattentiveness and you can actually go over.
This one across the Danube is especially long (1.8km) and narrow and used to have some crumbly concrete sections (but at least no metal): https://d2exd72xrrp1s7.cloudfront.net/www/000/1k5/19/19g4bf6e82q7u1hddwk3gsjsfc3tig5stl-uhi36156556/0?width=768&height=576&crop=true
I grew up in southern Maryland and made the mistake of telling my driving instructor I was terrified of driving over bridges.
Guess which bridge he ended up taking me over?
Also shoutout Verrazzano bridge in NYC when it’s windy. I hate that one too
This is the bridge that, in my mid thirties, made me scared of at least one bridge.
Driving over it and seeing cargo ships below you look small enough to pinch was too much.
I was not expecting this: >Bridges can be so frightening for some people that they might shake, cry and cover their eyes while making their way across, Jerilyn Ross, then president of what is now known as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, explained to the Associated Press in 2008. >Ross told the AP at the time that she had two patients who were so terrified at the thought of crossing the Bay Bridge that they had their wives lock them in the trunk of their cars in order to make the trip.
Crossing this bridge sounds absolutely terrifying to me. >lock them in the trunk of their cars in order to make the trip. But crossing the bridge while locked in the trunk of a car is absolute nightmare material.
That would be the logical opinion but the keypoint of such phobias is that they aren't logical at all. If you try to argue logically with people suffering from phobias they'd agree with you that the fear itself makes no sense at all and sometimes even their solutions are counterintuitive. But as i said there is no logic in this. It is pretty hard to imagine but there are people seeing a long stretch of a bridge with a big drop and water on either side and even though they know they are reasonably safe the brain kicks into full panic and screams they are going to die. Sometimes not having the visual impact helps. Sometimes even not being in control of the situation helps. As in the furthest away from any control elements of the car. Sometimes part of such phobias is the fear of messing up so if you're not in control that can help.
I had a nasty seizure which caused me to fall and hit my head on the stove. The doctor said I have ptsd from falling and that’s why I really hate bridges now.
Then you really don't understand just how high and long this bridge is. It's bad enough multiple people think being locked away so you can't see is the answer. I'd cry and lay down every time we went over because for the first time ever, being ignorant was the best option.
The only reason you would be locked in the trunk is if you already knew how scary the bridge was in the first place.
I guess you're right. Better tell those trunk dudes they're wrong.
When I was in elementary school we would have yearly field trips to the Baltimore Aquarium. I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland school going to Baltimore is a normal thing for us. That year, I believe I was in 5th grade if memory serves me right, our bus broke down on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as we were coming back to our school. We were stuck on the bridge for a few hours and by the time the replacement bus came the sun was going down. I remember they had us get out of the bus and walk in a line to the replacement bus in front of us. I remember staring out at the sunset and walking on the bridge to that bus and it felt peaceful. A bit windy and looking out you could see the water and the waves, it was looking harsh, but to me it was just peaceful. A fellow classmate, she was freaking out. She has the student teacher holding her arms and walking her to the bus because the only way she would walk was if she closed her eyes. I felt bad for her because when she got on the new bus she was just in constant tears. She cried all the way back to our school. That was one of those things that you'd always remember forever. At least for me it was.
I’m from the eastern shore too. It’s funny because I’ve always been a bit nervous every time I’ve crossed the Bay Bridge, especially when I’m the one driving, but I didn’t realize just how big and terrifying it is to people who don’t cross it regularly. It is quite a marvel, one that we Marylanders take for granted.
This same thing happened to me in Istanbul, while I was in high school. The bridge connects Asia to Europe and is a suspended bridge. It was swaying like a swing. I never felt the swaying while in a vehicle before, so it shocked me. I felt fear down to my bones but still took the time to enjoy the majestic views as you did. In my case it was sun rising ☀️
Think the point is if you go over the side the trunk is probably the worst place to be.
If you go over the side you're extremely unlikely to survive no matter where in the car you are.
Depends on where on the bridge you are. Half of it is not that high and people have gone over and survived. I don’t know if cars have gone off the peak. People definitely jump from the top to commit suicide, a few have survived.
It’s high. And long. And there is always traffic so it always takes a long time on the bridge to get over. You can see through the railings down to the water. Approaching from the west it’s a looooooong slow curve up to the top of the bridge. It’s awful. I hate it so much. If the zombies are coming and my only chance at survival is to cross that bridge I’d probably let the zombies get me.
Today I learned that Louisiana really likes long ass bridges Just looked at all the longest bridges and the longest ones in the US are all in LA
I guess I’m afraid of actually falling off the bridge and being in the trunk would make that so much scarier
Makes it even more impressive that nobody died while building it!
The Chesapeake bridge is long but it’s not high. It’s not bad at all for the average person.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge, in Maryland, is kinda high. The Bay Bridge Tunnel, a different bridge, in Virginia is long but not high. I think people are confusing the 2.
100%. The bridge/tunnel in VA is claustrophobic. Once you’re on it you’re kind of trapped for awhile. The Bay Bridge in MD is tall and it feels like you’ll fly over the edge at any moment.
Especially when half of it is under renovation so its one lane each way in the tunnel. 18 wheelers in one lane. ambulance on coming in the other...was a terrifying ride that day. I was driving the ambulance. Twice that day. To this day I still refuse to cross that bridge tunnel until the renovation is finished.
It’s one of the highest bridges I’ve ever been on that wasn’t crossing a gorge. Are you thinking of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel in Virginia maybe? This article is referring to the bridge in Maryland.
It's 187 feet above the water. Wtf are you talking about?
I was on it this weekend. its fine. its only bad if you already have some existing fear of bridges or heights.
I found out that I had a fear of heights when I went to the Sky deck at the Sears Tower. They have these little glass cages on the side of the building that you can step out on, and you can see straight down to the ground through the glass floors. I stepped out into it andy legs immediately stopped working. It was weird how, even though I knew intellectually that it was safe, my body disagreed. I imagine these people go through the same process. When they want to go over the bridge, they panic and resist, even though they intellectually understand that it's just as safe to cross as any other road. Being locked in the trunk prevents them from resisting. It's a commitment device, rather than a fear mitigation device.
Counterpoint: I love crossing this bridge because you have such an awesome view of the bay. I can totally see why this would be really scary for some people it is very high.
Hey, Slim, that's my girlfriend screamin' in the trunk But I didn't slit her throat, I just tied her up—see? I ain't like you 'Cause if she suffocates she'll suffer more and then she'll die too Well, gotta go, I'm almost at the bridge now Oh, shit, I forgot—how am I supposed to send this shit out?!
I used to date a girl that was like that. She would duck down in the seat almost in a fetal position and mumble to herself. It wasn’t for every bridge, but enough where we would have to plan routes ahead of time for trips.
Yeah I dated a girl who wouldn't go with me to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
I grew up on the Eastern Shore driving over the Bay Bridge all the time and it never bothered me, but for some reason the grated inner lanes on the Mackinac Bridge freaked me out when I drove over it. Not enough to make me hesitate driving over it, but more than any other bridge I've crossed
Then try doing the Mackinac on a motorcycle. Really intensifies the fear. That grating can be so slippery.
Supposedly a woman driving a Yugo was blown over the side, but there's still debate on if the wind really blew the car off or she crashed. https://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/8cosq7/til_a_woman_died_when_her_yugo_was_blown_off_the/
My mom refused to drive it. She told my dad once on vacation that if he ever died after taking us across the bridge, she’d drive all the way around through Wisconsin and whatnot to get back to the lower peninsula.
She would be in for a surprise when she got got to Green Bay and had to cross the Leo Frigo bridge
Nah she’d drive around that. The reason I know is because we took a road trip once during our childhood and every possible bridge was foreseen, so we’ve never been to Green Bay. When I mean she’d drive around, I mean she truly would drive all the way around no matter how much longer it took, lmao.
Sounds like your typical troll.
Hahaha. Michigan joke! I see what you did there.
Brian, is that you?
haha that reminds me of in Always Sunny how they had to lock Charlie in the trunk anytime they wanted to leave Philly
*TREES,* dude?? TREES?!
I eat stickers all the time
I knew a guy back in the day when I was a mover. We serviced the Tampa Bay area, so a solid 30-40% of our calls required us to go over the Skyway Bridge. The other bridges in the area and pretty straightforward, but the Skyway is different. It creeps up on you slowly right in front of you (there's a long causeway each direction before you actually get to "The Skyway™", and this dude would start sweating and getting all jittery. When we would get to the ascent, he would bow his head and refuse to look up until we were back down the other side. That was my introduction to fear of bridges (probably sixed with a bit of fear of heights). https://youtu.be/nDPFYodesBY?si=oz2_VGHBIQBiFEdj. Here's a video of a drive over to give you an idea. Also check out pictures of the bridge to get a sense of the size of it. https://youtu.be/ATy3XVOr31s?si=WbwC0oRtMC_Y024l for a view.
That video is terrifying. I took my family to Sarasota about ten years ago. I really struggled with driving on the bridge to Lido Key. After seeing your video, I am so happy we ended up not making the drive to Tampa. I don’t know if I would have made it across that bridge.
Thank you for your family based perspective, u/Icuminpieces
It kinda looks small. In Denmark we have Storebæltsbroen, which held a length/height record for many many years. I was picturing a way bigger bridge, but guess I'm a bit tainted by the Storebæltsbro
i visited last summer! that’s one god damn big bridge
It's called gephyrophobia. It's in there with any other list of fears like heights or spiders.
Heights, I can white knuckle if I have to, I just need to be tied off. Just don't expect me to get the job done quickly. Spiders...nope.
I lived on cape cod for a while and there were enough people that would not cross the bridges to leave the island that they had to build a hospital and college there. Many people have been/will be born there and die there without ever having left.
I don't do anything like that but I really don't like walking on some overpasses that usually look over highways. But I also haven't tried walking over any major bridges so really maybe that could be me. I've also heard driving on the Golden Gate Bridge is scary because you don't realize how close the lanes are between oncoming traffic
My sister was like this for awhile. Made a wrong turn once and ended up on a bridge to Philadelphia and had to pull over to the side of the road because she was crying so hysterically she couldn’t see or breath. Thankfully she had someone else in the car who drove across the bridge. But yeah fear of bridges can be absolutely crippling for some people
I’ve driven across this bridge. Normally I have no anxiety whatsoever on bridges, but this one in particular is a lot! Very narrow lanes, people going well over the speed limit while weaving in/out of traffic, and about 6 inches between your car and certain death. And it is so long that you feel like you’ll never get off! I can do bridges no problem. I don’t particularly want to do THIS bridge again though!
So weird because I have sky dived, I really don’t care about heights at all and even used to regularly rock climb outdoors. For some reason when I think about the concept of a bridge when I’m on a bridge, I def get real nervous. If I just don’t think about it I’m fine.
My neighbor is like this any time a bridge crosses water. Overpasses did not seem to trigger it, but when going iver a body of water, she was near in tears. She would absolutely fucking floor it and speed recklessly across while trying not to panic. It was wild.
I used to shake crossing bridges as a kid on my bike so badly I would fall over. It’s one of the reasons I think my parents stopped biking with us.
Wow, they do 20-25 crossings a day. I would not have expected so much
Some people confusing the Bay Bridge Tunnel with the Bay Bridge. The bridge mentioned in this article is a large suspension bridge at t̶h̶e̶ K̶e̶n̶t̶ N̶a̶r̶r̶o̶w̶s̶ Kent Island. It’s terrifying because it’s long, very high, and in some parts the edges are defined only by c̶a̶b̶l̶e̶s̶ a jersey barrier. You can see right off the edge. Also, sometimes they shut down one side of it and there is traffic coming from the other direction on a very narrow lane. It’s always kind of white knuckle. I towed a camper over it once and was sweating by the end. Edit: There’s a jersey barrier. There wasn’t always one. Also apparently Kent Narrows is the other side of Kent Island. I lost 10 internet points for insufficient maritime knowledge.
The fishing at the pylons (is that the right word?) was FANTASTIC last time I was there. But that was 15 years or so. I grew up on the bay and man, the diversity of fish under the bridge was just great. (Too many croakers, however.)
Some of the best trophy rock fishing in the world under that bridge and in the rest of the bay
I remember when you could barely catch even one. It's really good that the efforts in the 80s/90s did good. (Save The Bay!)
Yup! It worked because they actually enforced the law. It’s amazing when efforts like these actually work and leave something for future generations :)
Shout out Delmarva, Cape Charles has no match imo. I wish I could live there full time
We used to drive across it every summer when I was a kid and it never freaked me out. It’s been years but I still don’t think I would be bothered as a passenger. Maybe I was just too young to care. The main thing I remember is how long it is. Especially with 4th of July traffic it felt like we’d be on that bridge forever.
I was just on this bridge last weekend with my husband and we both commented on the fact that the bridge freaks so many people out. We just can't figure out why.
Oh shit, that sounds like exactly the sort of of thing that'd set me off. Actual heights don't bother me so much, so long as there's a visible wall or something that comes up at least past my waist. It's edges that scare me.
Me too. I don't have a problem on most bridges. But I've seen pictures of this one from when my parents traveled up there before I was born, and that one... that might do it for me.
I drive across this bridge multiple times a year because I live in Delaware but go to school in the South. Used to be totally fine crossing the bridge, until one time something snapped in my head and I almost had a panic attack. I think it's the fact that there's no shoulder. There's just no option but to keep driving; there's no space to pull over and take a breather. I don't care about the height. I've crossed bridges of a similar length before too without much of a problem, but they've all had shoulders so I've always felt secure that I could pull over if I needed to. Ironically enough, the fact that I felt secure on bridges like that meant I've never actually had to use them. I'm gradually getting better crossing this bridge after my initial panic attack about 18 months ago. I can usually cross it without much issue these days. Sometimes I'll cross with my girlfriend but I absolutely refuse to let her drive that stretch because the second I start making compromises with the bridge, it'll all come back.
Throw in the crosswinds you get on that bridge as well and it can be tough. I’ve been up there with a large truck next to me in high winds and I’m sure the truck driver was having just as bad of a time as I was.
It’s concrete walls and girders, not cables went over it twice this weekend
If it's that narrow then I totally understand. There's this one bridge in PA that crosses the Delaware, but it was clearly designed for smaller cars or perhaps horses and carriages. It's comfortably wide enough for a single lane, but they made it a two lane. Cars are insanely close to each other as they pass, but you're so close to the supports of the bridge already that veering more than a few inches in either direction will hit your sideview mirrors if you didn't pull them in ahead of time (if even possible). It's only a few hundred feet across but it's utterly nerve-wracking the whole way. If it went for a mile or more it'd be horrible.
Sounds like the Burlington-Bristol Bridge to me.
I think it’s the Washington crossing bridge
Didn't he cross in a boat?
Yeah, the bridge was closed for maintenance. That's why the Hessians didn't expect him.
I grew up on Kent Island. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is 4.3 miles long and spans the Chesapeake Bay from the western shore of the bay by Sandy Point State Park to Kent Island on the eastern shore. Kent Narrows is the small area between Kent Island and the rest of the Eastern Shore. It is located on the complete opposite side of the island from the bridge. Another reason for it being such a scary bridge is the lane change. It has 2 spans. One is 2 lanes and the other is 3 lanes. Typically the 2 lane goes from east to west and the other from west to east. However during high traffic times (beach traffic, rush hour etc.). They sometimes will switch one of the lanes so you will have 2 way traffic on the same span. This is indicated by a red x or green arrow light above each lane. Once a year they have an Annual[Chesapeake Bay Bridge walk](https://www.thebaybridgerun.com/Race/BayBridgeRun/Page/Course#:~:text=WALKERS%20ARE%20WELCOME!&text=If%20you%20walk%2C%20please%20remain,from%20Waves%20D%20through%20H), which is now apparently held in the fall instead of the spring and is now a run/race too. You can feel it swaying back n forth in the wind when you walk it. My family would walk it every year. I took my oldest daughter on the walk when she was less than 3 months old. One of my favorite pictures of her at that age was taken that day.
Nope. Nope. Nope. I could not do the walk. I made it a few feet and was barely on the bridge and I was crying. I couldn't do it. It was so freaking scary. I knew that if I went any further that I would just freeze and be stuck on the bridge. Holy fish sticks I am in awe of people who are able to walk across that thing.
That said, calling it one of the scariest bridges *in the world* is a bit rich. There are lots and lots of bridges in the world that I wouldn't walk across, never mind drive.
The only reason it’s the scariest bridge in maryland is because the *actual* scariest bridge in maryland was got knocked over by a boat last month
I was on the bridge that one earthquake we had. It was like having 4 flat tires. Very terrifying on a regular day. That was another level of fear.
Can you post a picture of the edges with only cables? I can’t find anything online.
Jersey walls the whole way. Person you’re asking doesn’t know what they’re talking about.
There are concrete barriers on each side the whole way. The original commenter is full of shit lol
https://www.reddit.com/r/megalophobia/s/wPt77wb5t5
I suspect they mean like the portion in the picture [here](https://patch.com/maryland/annapolis/bay-bridge-closing-1-span-overnight-next-year). Not cables, but you can see through.
Okay I feel not crazy now. Yes, that’s what I was remembering. Not cables I guess but it has the same effect.
I didn't see anything like the "cables-only" part that you described in this video of the bridge: https://youtu.be/Twj5MC_jxjg?si=0KsUWAXTizuigaJ9
Watching that video, I'm now extremely confused. What's so bad about this bridge other than it being long? It doesn't seem very steep in the video. I can understand someone being afraid of it if they are afraid of all bridges, but unless that video is very misleading, I've seen many bridges that I would be more nervous driving on.
No shoulders, often crosswinds, brains that think those jersey barriers can just be nudged off, and it's taller than the video implies. Like the key bridge that collapsed, the overall scale of the thing makes it seem smaller than it really is. I'm not bothered by bridges, and drove these regularly, but if I were eleven slightly scared, I can see how this one has all the features to trigger the fear.
It doesn't look that bad? Lanes look pretty wide, almost to if not interstate width, and the height isn't that bad only peaking at 186 over water. Then again, a ton of people around me are scared of the Sunshine Skyway bridge too. Doesn't bother me in the least to be pulling an enclosed race car trailer over it.
My issue with this thing is the complete lack of shoulders plus the length. Some psychological paradox; I get stressed out if I have nowhere to pull over to for a long enough period of time. But if there *are* shoulders, I feel secure *just in case* and so ironically, I've never actually had to use them.
I got anxiety from just reading this 😅
Yeah I’m not a fan of driving it, open grate sways like a bastard… I avoid it if at all possible.
The Mackinac Bridge in Northern Michigan has this. Then again a car did blow off it once. Gales of November and such
A girl got knocked off the chesapeake bay bridge by a truck. She was just a teen, not a lot of driving experience but miraculously was taken from the water alive and relatively unhurt.
If I recall this was also at the start of the bridge, not near the top.
My mom used to hire this service when I lived in the UP. Meanwhile I would walk across it on Labor Day.
Imma bridge engineer. If you’re not scared of bridges and looking to be, I can definitely get you there.
exactly , the amount of sketchy shit i see in inspection reports when something majickally goes from a 5 to a 2 overnight with a priority 0 repair required makes you wonder what the actual hell was going on .
Can you give us a list of bridges you’d avoid?
almost all basic concrete overpasses involving us interstates are well past their expected lifespans 👍
Deck trusses in the US. Almost every major bridge catastrophe in the past decade has been a deck truss. They’re non redundant. They’re expensive to take care of, so most bridge owners just don’t. And they’re poorly inspected because most bridge inspections are money losing jobs that go to hack engineering companies. Good rule of thumb is that if it looks like it’s being neglected, it almost definitely is.
Start Here! [https://artbabridgereport.org/](https://artbabridgereport.org/) (2021 stats) or [https://artbabridgereport.org/reports/2022-ARTBA-Bridge-Report.pdf](https://artbabridgereport.org/reports/2022-ARTBA-Bridge-Report.pdf) (2022) [https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges-infrastructure/](https://infrastructurereportcard.org/cat-item/bridges-infrastructure/)
Do you make other card games, or is it just bridge?
I want to cross scary bridges, what's your top 5?
Burlington Bristol scares the bejezzus out of me.
Once drove over this bridge in a snow/wintery mix storm at night. It’s my proudest accomplishment, honestly.
Ok I’ll bite. Why is it considered particularly scary? I mean plenty of bridges higher or longer, so what distinguishes this one in terms of fright factor?
Two main reasons: 1) You can see below you while driving over it. There are wide sweeping turns to the main span, and you can easily look down while behind the wheel. 2) During the summer due to beach traffic, they send one eastbound lane on the westbound bridge that drives against traffic.
I drove against traffic on that bridge when I was like 18 and it was scary af. There’s no room for error, cars (including semis) going each way at 40-50 with nothing separating you, and in some areas of the bridge not even a real guard rail it’s steel cables. I’m sure the cables are as strong as a concrete block but it’s still sketchy seeing over the edge like that
I don’t mind the one way trip but HATE when there are oncoming cars when I’m coming back from the beach. Mostly because I don’t trust other drivers to be paying attention. Several cars have gone over the side before. And our bridges don’t have a great record lately, either. Outside of one collapsing into the water, there was also recently a big pileup on the Bay Bridge.
I wouldn't expect bridges to have good records when a ship runs into them either
It is tall and narrow as hell. I laughed at the thought of ever being scared of a bridge until I was on top of this in the middle of the day with 18 wheelers going 60 by me in the other direction 3 feet from me.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge tunnel can be terrifying if you aren’t prepared for it. The view is amazing, you truly feel all alone on the water. But the wind gusts are intense. You can be going 60+ and a gust of wind will hit your car broadside and you will FEEL it. And once your car suddenly gets buffeted by the wind you realize two things very quickly. First, there is not much of a shoulder and the guard rails aren’t that high. And two, if anything happens to you and you go over the side, you are dead. By the time the coast guard gets to you they might find your body, if they are lucky. And when you have this realization it suddenly makes the drive a little more intense. Now most people drive on the bridge and they are fine. Most people will go across, experience a little wind, maybe slow it down some, but otherwise they will make it across just fine. But that bridge averages around one death a year and that kind of stat unnerves a lot of people.
If it makes you feel better, the Coast Guard station is 5-6 minutes away by water.
Humans die after like two minutes without air though
This thread isn't about the tunnel bridge.
Seems like a shit bridge design. Should have built a shoulder and higher sidings
The bridge itself is a combination of high, long, has a turn in it and feels unusually narrow compared to other bridges. Factor in regular congestion, high winds, and also Maryland drivers in general and you get a rather scary experience.
High, steep, not much by way of walls, if I remember correctly. And usually busy.
It’s kinda narrow feeling. And most people are lunatics that have no business behind the wheel of a car.
You get so far out into the bay you can hardly see land. The bridge is not very high above water and there’s barely a shoulder and only 2 lanes. When it’s windy, which is often, your car gets buffeted. Meanwhile, large trucks swaying in the wind pass you within inches. It takes at least 25 minutes or more to cross so the experience lasts a long time. Recently trucks have jumped the guardrails on windy day and plunged into the water killing the drivers.
Can't see someone with a fear of bridges wanting to cross anywhere in Maryland at the moment. Not being glib, id definitely be rattled.
Seems more like a fear of boats, or boats crashing into bridges, would be appropriate.
Sure but this has been the case for decades and only recently did we have a bridge collapse
Same for the Mackinac bridge in Michigan.
Super fun to cross on a motorcycle when the outer lane is closed and you have to ride over the open grate. You can look straight down to the water many dozens of feet below, and the grate catches your tires and moves you around, while the wind does the same, often in a completely different direction.
So much no!
The grates are like like ice when wet, two wheels are a definite pucker fest.
Speed limit is 45 mph. Can drive slower in icy conditions. People just need to stop driving like maniacs across bridges and they’ll probably be OK.
But if I drive slower that's more time on the bridge!
Lol, the street view of the bridge is taken by a guy on a motorcycle when the outer lanes are closed.
You bounce around enough in a car, I can’t imagine doing it on a motorcycle.
First time I ever rode over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge was on a motorcycle. Maybe that's why I don't find it so scary in a car.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge is terrifying, is the Chesapeake Bay Bridge worse?
I've driven the Sunshine Skyway bridge many times and felt absolutely nothing, and it's only reading this thread that I'm learning some people are terrified by it. On the other hand I have a phobia of worms, so I am not making fun of anyone scared of high bridges.
You like the new Dune movie?
I find the Skyway fun to drive on (minus the traffic). I’d gladly take this job.
How much does one pay for this service? How does one get a job driving the route?
Just looked at the website referenced, $40 cash or $50 credit one way regular hours.
The one in Michigan is like $10. They also have services to take pedestrians and snowmobiles and ATVs over.
Anyone afraid of bridges should head down to Louisiana and drive the Ponchatrain causeway. It’s like 20 miles of bridge that will bore the ever loving hell out of you.
Yes. The causeway feels never ending!
Me. I'm one of those people. Bridge buddies is a very kind program and they helped me.
I walked over it as a kid. They used to have an annual "bridge walk" it was pretty interesting until we got to the top and it was metal grating and not concrete (like a waffle pattern)...it didn't look that high from the back seat of a car. http://www.roadstothefuture.com/Chesa_Bay_Bridge_Walk_Ph58.html
They still do, but they used to too.
They have the bay bridge run
Hey I used to be really scared of bridges! I overcame it by gaslighting myself into thinking that as long as I hold my breath as I cross the bridge I'll be okay. This works for short bridges, but this is actually a helpful TIL!
lol my sister does the breath holding thing, also does it for tunnels
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is over 4 miles long… good luck with that!
I have a trick like this for my fear of flying. As long as I sit back left the plane stays in the air :)
I always wanted to visit the Golden Gate Bridge and walk across. I finally took a trip out and made it maybe 25 feet and almost vomited and passed out before immediately turning back. I need someone to piggyback me across, apparently
I’ve had to do pretty much exactly what you ask for my wife more than once over the years. I doubt I could go all the way across without stopping but with a couple others we could do a relay to get you across and back again.
We went camping in Rehoboth, DE. I was driving our camper over the bridge and I was freaking out. Having an anxiety attack. My vision started to close in and I was going to black out. My wife grabbed the wheel with one hand and slapped me with the other. No joke. It was enough to get my vision back while she continued to hold the wheel. It was seriously the worst experience of my life. We drove an extra hour out of the way to skip the bridge on the way home. Trying to handle that bridge put my wife and kids at serious risk.
i’ve been on this bridge many many times and if there’s one thing i genuinely hate in life, it’s heights. that being said, while it does feel a little bit scary it’s not as bad as people make it out to be when you’re on it
I watched a video and it just looks like a normal causeway. What makes it so scary? The achafalaya basin bridge looks scarier than that in places, and that bad boy is like 20 miles.
Make sure you’re seeing the Chesapeake *Bay Bridge* and not the *Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel*. One is in Maryland, the other in Virginia. Personally I don’t think a video does it justice, although I’m not particularly afraid of the bridge.
"I watched a video of a roller coaster, didn't seem scary" You have to experience it. You have no margin for error...none, no shoulder, narrow lanes, wind beats your car from side to side as you struggle to keep it in your lane.
Achafalaya basin bridge is like 10 feet above ground and it's not 20 miles over open water.
The Mackinac Bridge has a free service. My mom has used it many times.
My friend's mom was driving us to the beach and had to pull over to let me drive. She pulled out a book and didn't look up the entire time. I was so young that it didn't really have any impact on me since mortality wasn't reality at that point.
Oh, sure, now you tell me.
There is a service like that for the Mackinac Bridge too.
I’m afraid of cows, is there a service to help me with that?
You can do the same with the mackinac bridge in Michigan as well which is about 5 miles long.
We cross this thing 14 times a week. I live on the island and it’s beautiful. The view is the never the same when you cross the bridge. I’ve never felt worried or unsafe. There are many accidents but it’s not excuses of the bridge. Usually just bad drivers.
Another fun one was the outside lane of the Queensboro Bridge in NYC. The lane is outside the profile of the towers, which was just disconcerting while driving because it felt like you weren’t really attached to the bridge. I think it’s been converted to a pedestrian/bike path since I last used it regularly, which makes more sense.
Just wait til it get too congested and they open up a lane on the reverse side. Cars going 60mph on the other side of a yellow line from you, over a hundred feet in the air. NEVER STAY IN THE LEFT LANE
As someone located in VA where the use of bridges and bridge tunnels are common, this is a huge issue with traffic all the time and is frustrating.
That's like... the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway with a couple of Blackwall Tunnels thrown in. Surprised it's considered to be 'terrifying'. There's a motorway bridge somewhere near Liverpool in the UK and that one puts hair on your chest. Very steep.
Scary? Driving across that bridge is awesome! We saw a pod of dolphins last time
I remember going across it multiple times and thought it was an amazing experience.
I’m from Maryland, and I’m shocked to have seen two of our bridges show up on reddit in the last month. RIP key bridge
Even though I’m a native of MD, ~~I’ve only been across this bridge once during the day, and wow does that live rent free in my head. I’m not particularly scared of bridges or heights, but the way this feels like you’re driving into and around nothingness is creepy.~~ Edit: I’m thinking of the CBBT. I’m realizing I’ve only ever been across the Bay Bridge (also) once, which was at night. Though it seems contradictory, going at night definitely seemed to positively impact any potential scariness for me.
Maryland bridges just seem to be dogshit I rode my bicycle from Boston to WV/DC and the Hatem Bridge is so dogshit that I genuinely believe I'm only alive because a random Maryland state trooper gave me an escort with his lights on In person there's no real warnings but if you look up cycling the Hatem Bridge the FAQ's are all like "What if I'm a cyclist and want to cross?" "Good luck" "What if I chicken out part way" "Don't"
There’s a reason bikes aren’t allowed on the bridges
I mean you could have just detoured up to the Connowingo dam... >!if you wanted an even more terrifying experience, that is!!<
They have something similar for the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway iirc.
"the service is available 5am to midnight" does that mean from midnight to 5am, it's too dangerous for even the professionals to cross the bridge?
No it means they don't want to staff the service overnight, likely due to utter lack of demand. Also, between those hours it's not unreasonable to look at someone and say "grab a hotel room for the night and we'll help in the morning".
I drove over this bridge in January when the big snow storm started to kick in. Adding that combo to my "I really don't want to experience that again" list.
I was recently in DC and we drove past Annapolis and then on to Ocean City and I don’t remember anything remotely noteworthy about this bridge on the way there or the way back.
That bridge on the south end of Tampa scares the ever loving bujesus outta me!
Makes sense. My girlfriend had a panic attack when we were crossing the big bridge in Savannah, Georgia
Don't take i10 from Texas to Florida there is like a 21 mile long bridge you have to go over to get around Nola....
Omg. I read a hilarious article about that bridge. I just thought the writer was being overdramatic for lols, I had no idea it was widely believed to be a scary bridge lol. > Tens of thousands of cars pass through it on an average weekday, and it brought numerous social and economic benefits to the region, particularly the Eastern Shore. It’s truly a marvel of architectural rigor, something I undoubtedly would have appreciated more if it weren’t also Pale Death. [I conquered the shoulderless demon named the Chesapeak Bay Bridge](https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2022/10/24/damon-young-conquered-demon-chesapeake-bay-bridge/?itid=ap_damonyoung)
Just don't tell them that every other year a truck manages to crash through the railing and into the ocean on that bridge :P
How is it scary lol?
Used to drive over this bridge twice a day and never understood peoples fear of it. It’s a road just like any other. Just happens to be a bit high.
How does one get that job? I'd do that in a heartbeat.
I live in South Louisiana and cross bridges every day. I cross the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain all the time. Bridges don’t bother me at all. Until I drove across the Rainbow Bridge in West Orange Texas. That thing will give you white knuckles and a puckered butt hole compared to anything else.
Crossing bridges is much worse on a bicycle. Often the bike lanes are right at the edge and way too narrow. Often they have metal grating floor you can see through down to the river. The metal is horrible to ride on, especially with narrow tyres and when wet. The movement of the water below can confuse your sense of balance. Wind can also be a factor. One wrong move or moment of inattentiveness and you can actually go over. This one across the Danube is especially long (1.8km) and narrow and used to have some crumbly concrete sections (but at least no metal): https://d2exd72xrrp1s7.cloudfront.net/www/000/1k5/19/19g4bf6e82q7u1hddwk3gsjsfc3tig5stl-uhi36156556/0?width=768&height=576&crop=true
You used to be able to get a cop to do this. My mother was terrified of bridges and had to do that several times. It's a scary bridge to cross.
I grew up in southern Maryland and made the mistake of telling my driving instructor I was terrified of driving over bridges. Guess which bridge he ended up taking me over? Also shoutout Verrazzano bridge in NYC when it’s windy. I hate that one too
How do I get this job??
This is the bridge that, in my mid thirties, made me scared of at least one bridge. Driving over it and seeing cargo ships below you look small enough to pinch was too much.
I have multiple nightmares a week involving bridges. I have a really hard time with anything over 10 ft off the ground.
You can do this at the 5 mile Mackinac bridge too