ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WBFF) — For many drivers, crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge can be an anxiety-inducing experience. For some, the fear is so overwhelming they turn to a unique Maryland business that takes the wheel for them.
Steven Eskew, owner and operator of Kent Island Express, has spent the past 15 years helping motorists safely cross the Bay Bridge.
His company offers a drive-over service for people whose fear of the bridge prevents them from driving across it themselves.
Customers call about an hour and 45 minutes before they arrive at the bridge. Westbound drivers call again as they pass the Queenstown outlets before meeting one of Kent Island Express’s drivers at a nearby gas station. Eastbound customers meet drivers at the weigh station.
From there, the driver takes over, crossing the bridge before dropping the customer off at a safe location on the opposite side.
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The service wasn’t always operated this way. Eskew said he initially allowed customers to remain behind the wheel while he sat in the passenger seat, coaching them across.
That changed after one frightening experience.
He recalled one customer who assured him she was ready to drive but became overwhelmed as they climbed the bridge.
“She started taking her foot off the gas,” Eskew said. “Traffic… it becomes a safety thing.”
Eskew said he ultimately had to push the driver’s leg down onto the accelerator to keep the vehicle moving safely across the span.
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In another tense moment, an impatient driver squeezed between an oversized load and the bridge’s concrete barrier.
“The lady screamed,” Eskew recalled. “She dug her nails into my arm and drew blood.”
Eskew said people struggle with different aspects of the Bay Bridge, including its height, the openness, the inability to see over the crest, and its curved design. He said many customers jokingly refer to Kent Island Express drivers as their “driving therapists.”
One woman, he said, was so embarrassed about using the service that she had her credit card statements mailed to a friend’s house because she didn’t want her husband to know she couldn’t drive across the bridge.
Another customer was so terrified she spent the entire crossing turned backward in the passenger seat, wrapped completely in a large coat while repeatedly shouting how much she hated the bridge.
After reaching the other side safely, Eskew said the woman got out of the car, walked toward the bridge and began yelling at it.
“It was very personal,” he said. “It’s something that person is dealing with.”
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Eskew said Kent Island Express typically helps between 25 and 45 vehicles per day in the summer, compared with about 15 to 20 daily during the winter.
For Eskew, helping people conquer—or at least work around—that fear is what keeps him going.
“I kind of use the analogy that it’s just a speed bump in their road,” he said. “We just try to help them get across.”
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