Traffic Shifts and Temporary Lane Closures Part of Project

 

(July 19, 2018) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is beginning a project to replace the US 1 (Washington Boulevard) Bridge over the CSX Transportation rail line in Arbutus, Baltimore County. The $28.9 million project will begin late-July and be complete summer 2021. The construction project is part of the $2 billion investment in highway and bridge improvements across the state that Governor Larry Hogan announced in June 2015.

 

 “Our administration is committed to providing transportation solutions statewide, which includes critical infrastructure projects in Baltimore County,” said Governor Hogan. “We will continue to focus on and invest in important projects like these to bring real and much-needed traffic relief to our citizens.”

 

Built in 1929, the steel girder bridge is safe for travel but has outlived its useful service life. The new structure will be 120 feet longer and 4 feet higher to enable CSX Transportation to add future rail lines, a rail service road and added height to allow for double stacked freight cars.

 

The wider structure will accommodate wide shoulders, as well as a new left-turn lane from northbound US 1 to Clark Boulevard. The bridge project also includes new retaining walls along US 1 and reconstruction of the Clark Boulevard intersection to accommodate the new left-turn traffic movement.

 

Of the 5,286 bridges in Maryland, MDOT SHA maintains 2,567 bridges. Maryland has one of the lowest percentages of structurally deficient bridges in the nation due to investments in bridge replacement and rehabilitation projects and proactive inspections and repairs to keep bridges safe. As of June 30, MDOT SHA has met Governor Hogan’s promise to address all 69 structurally deficient bridges identified in 2015.

 

“This is a big project for the citizens of Baltimore County and the entire state, and I am excited we’re getting started this summer,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Greg Slater. “The bridge replacement project is a critical upgrade for both MDOT SHA and CSX Transportation.”

 

The US 1 bridge over CSX will remain open to traffic during three stages of construction. Motorists can expect temporary lane closures and traffic shifts in both directions of US 1 throughout the project. Crews will work Sunday night through Friday morning between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. the next day, as well as Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. There will be occasional late-night detours of US 1 for steel beam removal and replacement work.

 

 

(MDOT SHA photo: The nearly 90-year-old US 1 Bridge over CSX Transportation rail line will be replaced.)

 

MDOT SHA’s contractor, Lane Construction Company of Glen Burnie, will guide motorists through the work zone using dynamic message signs, traffic barrels and a temporary concrete barrier.

 

Approximately 18,200 vehicles travel on the section of US 1 (Washington Boulevard) between the I-195 (Metropolitan Boulevard) interchange and Clarke Boulevard each day. US 1 access to and from Clark Boulevard will be restricted or detoured at various times during bridge construction work. Dynamic message signs will alert travelers and residents prior to major traffic pattern changes.

 

While MDOT SHA and its transportation partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. 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. For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, click on Road Ready, MDOT SHA's electronic construction brochure. For a look at real-time commute conditions, log onto www.md511.org.

 

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