SOLOMONS ISLAND, Md. — Huge concrete slabs from the old Woodrow Wilson Bridge are being dumped into the Chesapeake Bay to create a deep water, artificial reef for fish, oysters and underwater grass beds.

In all, more than 1,000 tons of the old bridge will be placed in the waters to create the Ceder Point Fish Haven at the mouth of the Patuxent River.

“We’ve actually developed a fairly scientific system of building these reefs,” says Mike Baker, environmental manager with the Wilson Bridge Project.[…]