The Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial/Senator Thomas "Mac" Middleton Bridge, also known as the Potomac River Bridge, is a , two-lane continuous truss bridge that spans the Potomac River between Newburg in Charles County, Maryland and Dahlgren in King George County, Virginia, United States. It is one of eight toll facilities operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority, and is one of two toll bridges over the Potomac River. The other, the privately owned Oldtown Low Water Toll Bridge, connects Maryland and West Virginia, far upstream. The new Nice Bridge opened to traffic in October 2022. The original bridge will likely be demolished; no traffic uses it since the new bridge opened. Overview This two lane bridge carries U.S. Route 301, which is a spur of U.S. Route 1 and a popular north–south alternative for bypassing the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and its frequently congested roads such as Interstate 95, Interstate 495 (Capital Beltway), and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge to the north along the Potomac River. In 2014, the bridge handled approximately 6.4 million vehicles, with a daily average of approximately 17,500. Congestion Since the late 2000s, the bridge was known to experience significant traffic congestion due to its design, combined with increasing traffic from Southern Maryland, particularly as it peaks on holidays and weekends. The bridge is narrow (one lane in each direction with no shoulders), steep (up to 3.75 percent grade), and has a reduced speed limit ( on the main span, even slower through the southbound toll gates and plaza). By contrast, the approach roads on both sides of the bridge feature four lanes (2 in each direction), full shoulders, and speed limits. This combination forces vehicles to slow and merge as they cross the bridge, which often results in backups. In response to the bridge's traffic issues, the Maryland Transportation Authority initiated the Governor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge Improvement Project in June 2006, which would contemplate improvement of bridge traffic either by widening the bridge or by replacing it altogether. Planning continued for another year, and by the end of 2007, The Washington Post reported that six alternatives had been identified. Ultimately, the decision was made to replace the bridge altogether five years later with a wider one with two lanes per direction. History President Franklin D. Roosevelt presided over the ground-breaking ceremony for the bridge in 1938. Known as the Potomac River Bridge when opened in