Motorists Asked to Plan Ahead for Overnight Double Lane Closures and Temporary 15-Minute Total Closures of Shady Grove Road south of Tupelo Drive/Epsilon Drive beginning Sunday night, June 22          
          
(June 13, 2008) Beginning Sunday night, June 22 and continuing weeknights for up to four weeks, the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will install twelve 140-foot-long concrete beams over Shady Grove Road south of Tupelo Drive/Epsilon Drive to construct a new bridge as part of the $2.4 billion Intercounty Connector (ICC) project.           
          
Construction will occur weeknights between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. June 22-June 25 (Sunday through Wednesday), June 29-July 2 (Sunday through Wednesday), July 8-10 (Tuesday through Thursday) and July 13-17 (Sunday through Thursday).           
          
The setting of the concrete beams will require periodic temporary 15-minute roadway closures of Shady Grove Road between 11:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. just south of Tupelo/Epsilon drives. Double lane closures will occur between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., Sunday through Thursday nights through July 17. The periodic overnight closures are necessary to ensure worker and motorist safety during the setting of the beams.          
          
Traffic will be impacted along Shady Grove Road between north of Mill Run Drive and the Shady Grove Road/I-370 interchange including intersections with Mill Run Drive, Midcounty Highway, Epsilon Drive/Tupelo Drive and Briardale Road. Access to all side streets, driveways, sidewalks and bicycle lanes will be maintained during construction.          
          
The bridge work is part of the “Contract A” section of the ICC from I-370/I-270 to east of MD 97 (Georgia Avenue) and the first of five segments to be built. The first seven-mile portion of the ICC is scheduled to open late 2010 or early 2011.           
          
As of the end of May, Contract A is approximately 23 percent complete and the project is on time and on budget. The $478.7 million contract was awarded to Intercounty Constructors, a Joint Venture consisting of Granite Construction (Watsonville, Calif.), Corman Construction (Annapolis Junction, Md.) and G.A & F.C. Wagman (York, Pa.). For more information about the project, citizens may call the ICC Community Outreach staff at (866) 462-0020.           
          
Temporary barrels, traffic signs, arrow panels, flagpersons and portable variable message boards will alert and guide motorists through the work zone. SHA encourages all motorists to Choose Safety for Life and “Think Orange” while driving through work zones by driving the speed limit and remaining alert at all times. More information about the Choose Safety For Life Campaign can be found at www.choosesafetyforlife.com          
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