Tidewater is the land of bridges. I have crossed the Chesapeake Bay bridge many times. I once was the last person they let cross before closing the bridge (in my Outback). There were waves breaking over the road! I always ride to the middle of the bridge to give myself as much reaction time as possible to wind gusts. But remember if the wind is pushing you to the shoulder then it's pushing oncoming traffic into you! Personally, I don't think there is a way around this fear (I have it too, even though I love heights). You just have to get into your "rational mind" and suppress it.
The Bay Bridge is so beautiful it overrides the fear for me though. Zooming along on a sunny day on a bridge that looks like it's literally across the middle of the ocean is fantastic. It's funny though because as the bikers are all going slow on the bridge (which is prudent) cars slow to an irrationally low pace in the tunnels.
We have a notorious bridge here called the High-Rise bridge. It's very high to allow large ships to access the shipyards. Not only is it 8-9 stories high, but it also has a draw section on top that is a steel grating. Look down when you cross this and you can see the water! As if that wasn't enough, when the bike goes over the grates it wiggles as the tires follow the weave of the grating. This is about as scary as it gets! The trick is to loosen the grip on the bars and just let the bike do its thing.
Not to get too metaphysical, but fear is your sub-conscience telling you something. My riding mentor was real big on how great riders acknowledge their fear, analyze it and decide if a reaction is necessary. But they always ride in their analytical mind. You can train yourself to do this. I decided to figure out why I was afraid of bridges. I'm comfortable with heights. I am not claustrophobic so I don't feel trapped. Turns out it was two things: 1. the rails are low, especially perched atop the BMW. I had a sub-conscience fear of flying over the rails. 2. Turns out I am uncomfortable in empty space. On the road, there is a shoulder, then grass, then trees, etc. On a bridge, there is the road and then you are airborne! So, when I ride on a bridge I focus on the centerline, sort of like you look at the outside line on a road at night so you aren't looking into people's headlights. As for the railing, I just slow down. I tell myself that the outside alley is not a good escape route if something happens. It actually worked! I don't feel the panic I used to on a bridge. I still get nervous, but it's much more manageable.
Sorry for the long post!
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