🔍 Key Concepts

• U.S. Coast Pilot / Coast Guard Light List / nautical charts for fixed bridge data • Difference between horizontal clearance and vertical clearance • How navigation openings in a long bridge–tunnel system like the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel are typically sized

💭 Think About

• Which reference publication would you normally use on an exam (and on a vessel) to look up exact bridge clearances and spans? • Looking at the answer choices, which values seem more realistic for a main navigation opening used by commercial vessels? • How does the length and traffic of the Chesapeake Bay shipping channel influence how wide the navigation opening must be?

✅ Before You Answer

• Be sure you are thinking about horizontal clearance (side-to-side), not height over the water • Consider which of the choices would accommodate deep-draft commercial traffic safely, with room for error and two-way traffic if needed • Verify in your mind how narrow 21 ft, 70 ft, and 75 ft really are compared to the beam (width) of tugs, barges, and small ships