Drivers are so afraid of this 17-mile bridge they pay to be taken across

Imagine a bridge so long that it takes you 25-minutes to drive across it in normal traffic conditions, and involves driving down into underwater tunnels for part of the journey. You may start to understand why this mega-structure often makes drivers a little nervous.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel connects Norfolk in Virginia with the Delmarva Peninsula, a tourist spot that has beaches and stunning natural scenery, as well as being enroute to New Jersey. Crossing the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, the vast bridge has made the journey much easier for motorists, as driving around the bay used to take two to three hours.

Before the bridge opened in 1964, the journey across the bay used to involve ferries, with many boats making up to 90 journeys back and forth every day. However, bad weather would often leave people stranded on either side.

And so the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel was formed. Due to still needing the shipping routes functional, it was decided part of the road should go under water. The journey involves a drive down two different tunnels deep below the surface, before you come back out onto the bridge. Only 14 bridge–tunnel systems like this exist in the world.

But while it’s well designed, it’s a nerve-wracking drive for many behind the wheel. The roads are narrow, with no shoulder and few places to pull off. The tunnels can often feel claustrophobic, as traffic narrows down to one lane in either direction. Luckily, the bridge has its own police patrol and emergency phones dotted along the route to help in any emergencies.

Locals have taken to Reddit to discuss their hair-raising experiences with the bridge. One said: “When I was in the Navy and living in Norfolk, my mother-in-law would visit on occasion, despite being terrified to use this route. She would have to be driven across/through it so she could close her eyes for the duration. (5-7 minutes) If there was a traffic jam...it was all she could do to keep the panic tamped down.”

Another claimed: “The tunnel isn’t the scary part, the scary part is driving over 17 miles on a bridge that’s two lanes and only about 10 feet above the strong waters of the Chesapeake Bay meeting the Atlantic Ocean. Those waters are deadly!”

But enterprising locals have come up with a solution to the problem, offering a service that drives nervous motorists across the bridge in their own cars. Kent Island Express offers a Bay Bridge Drive Over service that can be booked 24-hours a day.

All motorists have to do is call the company an hour before they get to the bridge and meet them at a designated point. The driver then takes the wheel, meaning any nervous bridge crossers can simply sit back and relax before they get back into the driver's seat on the other side. The service costs $40 (just over £30), and in a news report that interviewed one of the drivers, she claimed to be driving ten to thirty people a day.

The scariness of the drive is worth it once you arrive on the unspoilt Delmarva Peninsula. You can visit the 37-mile-long Assateague Island National Seashore, a barrier island where wild horses roam freely, and sleep under the stars in oceanside campsites. Space fans can also visit the NASA Wallops Flight Facility, where over 16,000 launches have been made from its rocket testing range. You can even get a clear view from a viewing platform if you visit on a scheduled launch day.