(June 5, 2015) – On June 20, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will close and detour two sections of Shepperd Road to perform slope repair work.  The first road closure is located on Shepperd Road between the Shepperd Road/Monkton Road split and Wesley Chapel Road.  The second road closure is on Shepperd Road west of JM Pearce Road.  SHA will establish a detour to route traffic around the work area.

All residents on Shepperd Road will have access to their homes during construction work. Pre-construction activities will begin on Monkton Road and Shepperd Road in early June.  Crews will place portable digital message boards along Monkton Road and Shepperd Road in mid-June to alert travelers to the upcoming road closure and detour.

The detours are necessary to support SHA’s $2 million highway improvement project on MD 138 (Monkton Road and Shepperd Road) between east of the Gunpowder Falls Bridge and JM Pearce Road. SHA’s contractor, Gray and Son, Inc. of Timonium, will repair roadside slopes, improve drainage, install new traffic barriers and resurface the pavement.

Once the road closure is in effect, temporary traffic signs will direct all through travelers on Shepperd Road to a posted detour route on Monkton Road, Old York Road and Troyer Road.   

 

In addition to the total road closures on Shepperd Road, there will be temporary daytime single lane closures and flagging operations along Monkton Road between the Gunpowder Falls bridge and the Monkton Road/Shepperd Road split, and on Shepperd Road between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on weekdays.

“The Shepperd Road closures and detours are necessary for the safety of travelers and contractor crews during construction work,” said SHA District Engineer David Peake. “SHA encourages all motorists, bicyclists and Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail users to plan ahead for extra travel time in the Monkton area and use caution on the detour route this summer.”

Weather permitting the project will be complete late summer.  Citizens who have questions about highway construction on MD 138 or any other State highway within Baltimore or Harford counties may contact SHA’s District 4 Office – Construction Division in Hunt Valley at 410-229-2420, toll-free at 1-866-998-0367 or by e-mail: shadistrict4@sha.state.md.us.

 

 

The spring and summer construction season is getting into high gear. For a statewide listing of most SHA projects, click here for e-Road Ready 2015. In addition to this project, drivers may also encounter mobile or short-term work zones. Always expect the unexpected, pay extra close attention and drive slowly through any work zone. Whether it is a tree trimming operation or a bridge project, be aware when orange is there: Think Orange (the color of construction equipment and signs), stay alert and slow down. Everyone is at risk.

While SHA and its transportation partners work hard to keep traffic safely moving in work zones, please partner with us because work zone safety is everyone’s business – slow down and stay alert. Safer driving. Safer work zones. For everyone.