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Bridge into Ocean City Opens Weeks Ahead of Schedule
(November 23, 2009) – Tomorrow at approximately 10 a.m., holiday travelers will be thankful to find the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) reopening the MD 90 (Ocean City Expressway) Bridge over the Assawoman Bay in Worcester County. The bridge was originally scheduled to open mid-December.
SHA closed the 38-year-old bridge on October 15, and detoured traffic to the US 50/Harry Kelly Bridge. This closure came a week after SHA enacted an emergency weight restriction as a result of deterioration found in an 85-foot section of the bridge during an inspection.
The contractors for this emergency maintenance project, McLean Contracting, Co. of Glen Burnie and High Steel Structures, Inc. of Lancaster, PA, were praised by SHA District 1 Engineer Donnie Drewer for their timely and efficient work. Crews removed the damaged bridge span, replaced steel girders, poured a new concrete deck and installed new raised pavement markings and stripes. The concrete has cured and it is now safe for traffic to resume on the bridge.
SHA thanks motorists for their patience and cooperation. For more information on State-maintained roadways in Worcester County, customers may call SHA’s District One office at 1-800-825-4742 or 410-677-4000.
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