STEVENSVILLE, Md.- Summer travel may be over, but brace yourself: off-season back-ups on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge are on the way.
The Maryland Transportation Authority is starting a massive project to restore parts of the westbound span of the bridge. The MDTA kicked off the project Tuesday by making lanes more narrow and closing two-way travel on the westbound side.
The changes Tuesday are in preparation for a $27 million deck rehabilitation project. It all starts Monday, when crews completely close off the westbound side right lane overnight Sunday. That right lane will remain closed 24/7 all the way through April of 2020. MDTA also says the west side span will close completely at night.
The project includes repairing and re-sealing the lane, which MDTA officials say will make for a better ride but it will also prevent future problems, like pot holes.
The MDTA says it wants to encourage drivers to build in a little extra time into their commutes starting next week. They expect backups as long as three miles on each side of the bridge during peak morning and evening travel times. Some drivers say they're thinking about changing their routines.
"I think I'll try to do some of my traveling now probably on Thursdays and Mondays and try to avoid the whole Fridays and Sunday evenings." Andrew Blair of Queenstown says.
The only time the right lane will reopen before April is for Thanksgiving week, when MDTA officials say they expect a high volume of holiday traffic. The closures have some drivers wanting another way to cross the Chesapeake.
"We already have so much traffic down here," driver Donna Thorpe says. "It's gonna create a mess. People in line and what they really need is another bay bridge but they don't need it here, they need it in southern Maryland."
Fixing it now, MDTA officials say, will prevent a total replacement down the road.
"What are you gonna do? You got to fix the bridge. It's just a part of commuting I guess," George Barstis of Ocean City says. "I welcome that they're gonna fix the bridge. I don't welcome the back-ups."
The westbound lane will reopen in April of 2020 for the summer season. But, it will close again the following fall so that crews can finish their work on the Bay Bridge. The goal is to have it all finished by August of 2021.
MDTA officials say they planned to start the work after the busy summer season, as well as after Ocean City Sunfest.
The MDTA encourages drivers to plan accordingly while the work is underway. Information about delays can be found by calling 1-877-BAYSPAN, checking on their website baybridge.com, or on their Twitter page.
