Emergency Pipe Repair and Patching Completed; Eastbound Lanes Restored in Time for Busy Weekend Beach Traffic

(August 17, 2017) – The eastbound US 50 Salisbury Bypass will reopen tomorrow morning at 6 a.m. The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and Corman Construction have been working overnight and through rain since Tuesday to repair the roadway following an emergency closure.

Crews excavated more than 10 feet beneath the eastbound roadway just east of Northwood Drive to replace wet and loose fill material. The area was patched with asphalt this morning and drain pipe repairs have been ongoing through the day and will be completed by tonight.

 

 

(MDOT SHA photo: Worker checking the pavement repair.)

The closure was necessary to ensure public safety when heavy rains last weekend accelerated erosion around a drain pipe, creating voids under both eastbound lanes.

“Our thanks to Corman Construction for stepping up to perform this work on very short notice,” said District Engineer Jay Meredith. Corman is the contractor for the Salisbury Bypass 11-bridge rehabilitation project, and “when we realized Tuesday this was going to be an emergency closure with substantial public impact we asked Corman for help and they responded,” continued Meredith. “They know how important this road is to Salisbury and they didn’t hesitate to bring personnel and equipment on site to get the job done and help us get the Bypass reopened as quickly as possible.”

 

 

(MDOT SHA photo: Crews finishing up concrete curbs.)

 

Nearly 40,000 vehicles travel this part of the Salisbury Bypass each day and traffic volumes can be substantially higher during summer weekends due to beach traffic.

 

 

(MDOT SHA photo: Worker preparing to attach fittings for inflation and curing of the pipe liner.)

 

 

 

(MDOT SHA photo: Worker installing new pipe liner at the outfall.)

 

Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers.  Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Work Zone Safety is in Your Hands.  Maryland drivers can also know before they go by calling 511 or visiting www.md511.org for live traffic updates, including construction delays and lane closures.

 

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