Dual Bridges over Suitland Road to be Replaced with Wider Structures

ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is underway with a $35.7 million project to replace two parallel bridges on I-95/I-495 (Capital Beltway) over Suitland Road in Prince George’s County.  The 54-year-old structures are structurally deficient and in need of replacement.

“Our administration remains committed to fixing every single structurally deficient state-owned bridge in Maryland,” said Governor Larry Hogan. “This project will ensure a safer and more reliable commute, as well as provide congestion relief for the nearly 207,000 drivers who use this section of the Capital Beltway every day.”

The 1.85-mile project begins at the Auth Road overpass and extends north past the Forestville Road (MD 4) interchange ramps. Weather and progress permitting, the work should be complete by the end of 2020.  The new steel girder bridges will have 25-foot 6-inch-wide inside shoulders, allowing for possible future Beltway widening.  Each new one-span bridge will be raised to provide additional under clearance above Suitland Road.  New lighting and stormwater management facilities will also be constructed.

Construction of the I-95 bridges over Suitland Road demonstrates the Hogan Administration’s commitment to addressing structurally deficient bridges statewide. Of the 69 structurally deficient bridges inherited by the Hogan Administration in 2015, 21 have been replaced or repaired and the remainder are under construction or in design.

Preliminary work for the project has included lane striping, placing concrete barriers and utility relocations. Crews will now begin working in the actual travel lanes and implement lane shifts with nighttime work.  Drivers are asked to remain alert for work crews and changing traffic patterns; safety measures will be place for the remainder of the construction project. MDOT SHA’s contractor is Concrete General of Gaithersburg.