Motorists Are Urged to Plan Extra Travel Time During Construction

(July 18, 2018) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) is preparing to begin three safety and resurfacing projects in Montgomery County. The projects, which total $6.7 million, will be complete fall 2019.

All of the resurfacing projects include milling (removal of the top layer of asphalt), paving and restriping. Other work includes repairing damaged concrete sidewalk, curbs and gutters and cleaning of drainage inlets and pipes.

The first project, which should be underway by next week, is in Chevy Chase on MD 185 (Connecticut Avenue) between north of MD 410 (East-West Highway) and Manor Road. In MDOT SHA’s contractor, Congressional Contracting, Inc. of Potomac, are permitted to close single lanes Mondays through Fridays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and Sunday nights through Friday mornings between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Crews will use barrels and cones to guide the nearly 66,000 vehicles that travel on this section of MD 185 through the work zone. This project also includes upgrades of the traffic signal at the MD 185/Dunlop Street intersection and installing concrete bus pads on MD 185.

Later in August, MDOT SHA will begin two additional resurfacing projects. In Rockville, MDOT SHA will resurface 1.1 miles of MD 355 (Rockville Pike) between MD 28 (Veirs Mill Road) and Mannakee Street and in Gaithersburg on 1.7 miles of MD 124 (Montgomery Village Avenue) between the spur to Christopher Avenue and Mid-County Highway. F.O. Day Company, Inc. is MDOT SHA’s contractor for both projects.

The project on MD 355 in Rockville will be night work, Sunday nights through Friday mornings between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Approximately 44,000 vehicles use this section of Rockville Pike each day, so motorist are encouraged to allow extra dive time during construction.

Motorists can expect single lane closures on MD 124 between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sunday nights through Friday mornings and occasionally Mondays through Fridays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.  Crews will guide the nearly 25,000 vehicles that travel on MD 124 in this area using arrow boards, barrels and cones.

As of June 30, which was the end of the State’s 2018 fiscal year, MDOT SHA has resurfaced or treated half of all state highway lane miles since 2015. This milestone marks the improvement of nearly 8,500 lane miles, calculated by miles of highway multiplied by the number of lanes, improving safety and enhancing the customer experience for millions of drivers across the state.

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.