***TRAFFIC ALERT*** MDOT SHA CONTINUES WORK ON I-270/MD 85 INTERCHANGE PROJECT IN FREDERICK COUNTY

I-270 sign

I-270 sign

​Overnight Work Tuesday will Require Temporary Lane Closures and Placement of Traffic Control Barriers in MD 85 Median

(January 31, 2022) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will shift traffic on MD 85 (Buckeystown Pike) between Crestwood Boulevard/Shockley Drive and Spectrum Drive during an overnight operation Tuesday, February 1, into Wednesday, February 2, weather permitting. This work is part of MDOT SHA’s $87.7 million I-270/MD 85 interchange project to improve safety and reduce congestion.

Starting at 8 p.m. Tuesday, crews will apply new pavement markings and then move traffic over one lane to the west. The traffic shift is necessary so crews can install new underground drainage pipes and continue widening work on northbound MD 85. The overnight work is scheduled to end by 6 a.m. Wednesday.

The operation will require the following temporary overnight roadway closures:

  • Northbound MD 85 exit ramps to northbound and southbound I-270 will be closed during the work. Motorists will be detoured to westbound I-70 to access I-270 and US 15; and
  • Crestwood Boulevard will close between MD 85 and Westview Drive. Motorists will use Westview Drive to Executive Way to access MD 85.

Motorists should also expect lane shifts and restrictions on MD 85 for both northbound and southbound lanes during the overnight work. During the operation, crews will place traffic control barriers between the northbound and southbound lanes of MD 85 to improve safety. The barriers will prevent motorists on southbound MD 85 from making left turns into businesses prior to the traffic signal at Crestwood Boulevard/Shockley Drive.

The I-270/MD 85 interchange project will replace two I-270 bridges and widen MD 85 by adding a new travel lane in both directions between Spectrum Drive and Crestwood Boulevard. The project is expected to be complete in spring 2023. Learn more about the project by clicking HERE.

MDOT SHA works hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones for our crews as well as our customers. Drivers need to stay alert, focus on driving and look for reduced speed limits, as well as other driving pattern changes. Please drive like you work here and slow down in construction zones.

Motorists can dial #77 on their mobile device for Maryland State Police and roadside assistance.

For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, go to Project Portal. Visit our homepage at roads.maryland.gov. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland.gov.

Editor’s Note

From intersection improvements to widening and new interchange construction, MDOT SHA is investing in projects to enhance the commute and daily travel for millions of Marylanders.  MDOT SHA maintains more than 2,500 bridges and 17,000 miles of non-toll state roads – the interstate, US and state numbered routes in Maryland’s 23 counties.

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