WASHINGTON — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s office announced that the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge has been renamed.
The 1.7-mile-long, 77-year-old bridge will now also bear the name of Charles County Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton.
“I cannot think of a more fitting tribute to a gentleman and a leader who has dedicated so much of his life to this county, to our great state, and to serving others than renaming this the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas “Mac” Middleton Bridge,” Hogan said in a news release.
“On behalf of all the grateful Marylanders, I want to sincerely thank Senator Middleton for his decades of dedicated service to the people of Charles County and to the State of Maryland.”
Del. Sally Jameson, who represents Charles County, sponsored the law to rename the bridge during the 2018 legislative season.
Hogan, along with Jameson, Middleton and Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn, had a ceremony to unveil the bridge’s new signage on Saturday.
During the event, Hogan said that he has issued a request for qualification — officially starting the contractor procurement process — for a new bridge that will be located north of and parallel to the existing bridge.
The Maryland state board has voted to build a new $765 million Potomac River crossing in Charles County to replace the aging Harry Nice Bridge. Maryland Transportation Authority aims to start construction on this new bridge in 2020 and have it completed by 2023.
Building a new bridge will mean that the existing bridge no longer needs a major rehabilitation project in the next five years, as previously estimated, according to the news release.
