MD 140 BRIDGE REHABILITATION PROJECT BEGINS AT BALTIMORE / CARROLL COUNTY LINE

MDOT SHA Logo

MDOT SHA Logo

(November 13, 2013) – Roadwork is beginning this week on the MD 140 (Westminster Pike) bridge at the Baltimore-Carroll county line, but it is not until spring that drivers will begin to see major traffic impacts from the project.

The $7 million Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) bridge rehabilitation project  includes replacing the deck (driving surface) and supporting steel beams and widening the shoulders of the MD 140 Bridge over the North Branch of the Patapsco River (Liberty Reservoir). Beginning early spring and continuing through fall 2014, the bridge will be reduced from four to three lanes, one of which will be a reversible lane carrying traffic towards Baltimore during the morning rush hour and towards Westminster during the evening rush hour and weekends.

“SHA is using an innovative approach to maintain traffic during construction to minimize impacts to drivers,” said District Engineer Dave Coyne.  “Beginning spring 2014, crews will need to block one of the four lanes to safely work on the bridge during construction, so SHA will require the contractor to use a movable barrier wall.  There will be two eastbound lanes and one westbound in the morning and it will be reversed for the evening commute.”

In the meantime, all four lanes of traffic will be maintained this fall and winter while crews widen the bridge and its approaches on the westbound side. Motorists may encounter temporary single-lane closures on MD 140 during the overnight hours later this week or early next week to allow crews to set up barrier walls along the westbound shoulder and shift traffic lanes about two feet toward the eastbound shoulder.

Project completion is anticipated spring 2015, weather permitting. The project is part of SHA's ongoing statewide bridge system preservation program. The bridge was constructed in 1946 and while structurally safe, it is showing signs of deterioration and needs rehabilitation. SHA’s contractor for the project is Anchor Construction Corp. of Washington, D.C. For more information about the project, please visit http://tinyurl.com/MD140bridge.

This project was made possible with funding from the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Act of 2013, which maintains crucial system preservation investments and allows Maryland to activate long-term strategies to invest in Maryland’s transportation systems. By putting people back to work in the transportation industry with $4.4 billion in new investments in the next six years, Maryland is creating hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity and providing Marylanders with the transportation infrastructure necessary to grow and prosper for decades to come.

While SHA and its partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert – look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don't follow too closely. Safer Driving. Safer Work Zones. For everyone!

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