Two Lanes to Be Closed For Pipe Replacement and Sinkhole Repairs Near Odenton Shopping Center; Work Should Up To Three Weeks          
          
(August 21, 2008) – The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) will be replacing a 36-inch stormwater pipe and repairing the roadway along MD 175 (Annapolis Road) in Odenton beginning on or about Monday, August 25. The work will take place in front of the Odenton Shopping Center and will require lane closures and shifts so workers can safely perform the work. Crews will have to open a trench approximately eight feet wide and 20 feet deep. MD 175 will be reduced from two lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction for the duration of the work. The eastbound two lanes of MD 175 will be closed for these repairs, and both east and westbound traffic will share the two westbound lanes.          
          
Work is expected to take up to three weeks. Work will take place during daytime hours, and may be adjusted as needed. While the trench area will be covered with steel plates at the end of each work day, it will not be safe for traffic to cross. Therefore, the work zone and lane reduction/shift will remain in place until all work is completed. Access to the Odenton Shopping Center will be closed at the eastern-most shopping center entrance/exit along MD 175. All other shopping center access points will remain open.          
          
The $80,000 repair work is necessary to address drainage along MD 175 when a stormwater pipe fails, causing a sinkhole. Citizens who have questions about this project or other projects or traffic operations along State-numbered highways in Calvert, Charles, St. Mary’s or Anne Arundel Counties may call SHA’s District 5 Office at 410-841-1000 or toll-free at 1-800-331-5603.          
          
During the summer months, work zones are in full gear along state and local roadways. On any one day, there could be more than 350 work zones. Remember that work zones are not only large construction projects possibly taking years to complete, but smaller, mobile operations such as mowing, pothole repair and litter pick ups. When workers are on the road, THINK ORANGE: slow down, stay alert and expect the unexpected. Choose to make work zone safety your business at www.choosesafetyforlife.com.          
          
          
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