(March 26, 2014) – The State Highway Administration advises motorists who use the MD 193 (University Boulevard) bridge above I-495 (Capital Beltway) in Silver Spring of new traffic patterns as work on the span moves forward.

Beginning this Sunday night at 7 p.m., and continuing each night through Thursday, April 3, crews will shift all lanes of traffic to the eastbound side of MD 193 to prepare for demolishing and reconstructing the westbound half of the bridge. Maryland State Police will assist crews in implementing the traffic switch this week, as intermittent traffic stops of up to 15 minutes may be necessary to perform the work. Weather permitting, all phases of the traffic shift should be complete by Friday morning at 5 a.m.

To complete the new traffic pattern, crews will close access to the eastbound side of the bridge and shift traffic to the westbound side of the bridge to apply new pavement markings on MD 193. The new markings will create a new traffic pattern of two eastbound and two westbound lanes of traffic on the eastbound half of the bridge. Crews will also apply new pavement markings on Williamsburg Drive and Indian Spring Drive and realign the traffic signal at the intersection of the exit ramp from westbound I-495 to MD 193 to reflect the new traffic alignment.

Once the pavement marking work is complete, crews will reopen the eastbound half of the bridge with the new traffic pattern, erect concrete barriers to create a work zone for demolition and construction of the westbound side of the bridge. All access to the westbound side of the bridge will be closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic through late fall. Pedestrians will be directed to safe crossings on the eastbound side of MD 193 until the westbound bridge work is complete. Once this work is completed later this year, the process will reverse to demolish and construct the eastbound side of the bridge. During the current phase of the project, crews will continue work during weekdays, between 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and overnight, Sunday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The work is part of a $9.6 million bridge replacement project that began last spring. The traffic shift and start of the demolition work on the westbound side of the bridge follows a project to construct the median and relocate utilities along MD 193 between Indian Spring Drive and US 29 (Colesville Road).

As crews work to keep work zones safe, 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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