And things are not expected to get any better anytime soon. Workers inspecting and repairing the Jersey barriers on the eastbound span yesterday found more corrosion in the bolts that fasten the walls to the road surface.

The latest corrosion was found on the southwest corner of the eastbound span, a short distance from the toll plaza on the western shore of the bay. The earlier corrosion was discovered on the eastern reaches of that span following a deadly crash earlier this month in which a truck crashed through the barriers and landed in the water.

The $3 million project is a temporary fix that officials say will be complete in 10 weeks, even with yesterday's developments.

At the same time, officials still are trying to find a permanent fix for the problem.

As a temporary measure, crews are attaching L-shaped brackets to secure the concrete walls to the deck and attaching guardrails, all the while checking for additional corrosion. The testing is 50

percent complete.

In the meantime, officials are asking for patience and will strictly enforce traffic laws.

"I know it sounds cliche, but we're all in this together," said Lindsay Reilly, a spokesman for the MdTA. "It does not help the situation when people are driving erratically. It only makes things worse."

Across the region, governments are scrambling to alleviate the traffic gridlock.

The commuter bus service that operates between Kent Island and Washington, D.C., has been expanded, adding an additional six weekday round trips, Gov. Martin O'Malley announced yesterday.

County officials have posted a sign on eastbound College Parkway just before Cape St. Claire Road that instructs motorists not to use College Parkway as a cut-through.

E-mails from frustrated Broadneck Peninsula residents have poured into the inbox of Councilman Cathy Vitale, R-Severna Park, over the past few days, complaining they could not get in and out of their communities because motorists trying to avoid the long delays on Route 50 are crowding onto the access roads.

"You will not be allowed to utilize the county access road to skip ahead of the Bay Bridge traffic," Ms. Vitale said.

At Stepping Stone Children's Center in Stevensville, parents have consistently been late since the lane closure. And that leads to an extra fee for the parents, since the staff has to stay later.

"We have to keep staff here past closing time, and we have to pay them," director Stacy Blodgett said, adding that she tries to give parents a break when possible. "It's not their fault, we know they have to work, but we have to keep staff here, too. We're kind of stuck in the middle."

Problems, solutions

MdTA and Queen Anne's Department of Emergency Services officials met yesterday to implement a plan that would get emergency crews through the backups. Now, the department's dispatch office will call the MdTA so its vehicles can get flagged through the administrative entrance to get to the bridge, then continue to drive on the closed right lane. This is expected to save them about 25 to 30 minutes during calls, director John L. Chew said.

Still, they need another meeting to establish a plan that would help when things are backed up on Kent Island, as they were on Route 8 and Route 18 two weeks ago.

"That was a bigger problem than we had time for (during yesterday's meeting)," Mr. Chew said. "What affects Anne Arundel County affects Prince George's County (and elsewhere). What affects Queen Anne's County affects the entire Eastern Shore."

Yesterday, motorists going southbound on Ritchie Highway who were trying to reach the Bay Bridge via College Parkway encountered a backup that extended well beyond Jones Station Road at 6:30 p.m. Traffic also was backed up on northbound Ritchie Highway at Arnold Road and College Parkway as motorists bailed off backed up Route 50 at the Ritchie Highway exit. At 7:30 p.m. there was a long, steady stream of traffic on eastbound Benfield Boulevard as motorists on southbound Interstate 97 bailed, seeking alternative routes to reach the Bay Bridge.

The Anglers Sport Center near exit 30 was deserted yesterday afternoon as motorists packed the nearby highway.

A woman inside speculated that people were "afraid to get out of line" to stop at the store, which is off an access road.

"I wonder how many cars run out of gas," she said. "I would not take any chances, because it's just like a parking lot."

Transportation officials reiterated today the Bay Bridge is safe and the problems are not associated with the bridge's deck or superstructure. Putting off the work until after the holiday weekend was not an option, said Jack Cahalan, a spokesman for the state Department of Transportation.

"If you have an issue and you have a solution, you need to respond as quickly and efficiently as possible to enhance the safety of the bridge," he said. "There is an obligation to the public and to do it as quickly as possible."

In response to a request from state Sen. E.J. Pipkin, R-Elkton, for an independent safety inspection of the bridge, Ronald L. Freeland, the executive secretary of MdTA, said in a statement the most recent inspections of the bridge were done by an independent engineering consulting firm.

The Bay Bridge and other toll facilities are inspected every year, twice as often as federal mandates.

"We certainly respect Sen. Pipkin's request for an independent safety inspection," Mr. Freeland said in the statement. "However, we are confident that any inspection that meets industry standards would disclose that the bridge is in good condition and has no significant issues regarding its safety and structural integrity."

In the meantime, the delays are expected to worsen this afternoon as beachgoers begin the holiday trek to Ocean City and other Eastern Shore and Delaware resorts.

Staff Writers Erin Cox and Liam Farrell contributed to this story