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Maryland State Highway Administration
For Immediate Release
Contact: Valerie Burnette Edgar 410-545-0303
B/W Parkway (MD 295) Closure Begins at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights
(November 9, 2012) – The "144-wheeler" returns to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295) this weekend! Following last weekend's successful move and installation of a 500-ton bridge deck using a 36-axle, 144-wheel "self-propelled modular transporter" (SPMT) system, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will repeat the feat this weekend when it replaces the West Nursery Road bridge deck over southbound MD 295.
Last weekend's replacement of the bridge over northbound MD 295 marked the first use of SPMTs in Maryland for a large structure replacement. "Not only was this an historical first for Maryland, it proved to be an incredibly efficient operation," noted SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters. "The new bridge was removed from the construction staging area, rolled down MD 295 and secured in place in under three hours. Within eight hours we had all roads reopened to traffic. This was a tremendous testament to our engineers and contractors who overcame several early obstacles in demonstrating the promise this bridge replacement technology can hold for Maryland."
This weekend, SHA will close the MD 295/West Nursery Road interchange at 8 p.m. Friday. West Nursery Road will remain closed through Sunday morning as crews remove the old bridge Friday night into Saturday morning and install the new one Saturday night into Sunday morning. MD 295 will reopen to traffic Saturday morning by 10 a.m., and reclose again Saturday night at 8 p.m. Because significant delays are expected, SHA is directing travelers to use I-95, I-97, US 1 (Washington Boulevard) or US 29 (Columbia Pike) as alternate routes. SHA is using overhead and portable message signs, cones and barrels to guide motorists around the work zone. Airport travelers should plan sufficient time reaching Baltimore Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport. SHA expects to restore traffic on all roads by 10 a.m. Sunday.
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