OCEAN CITY, Md. -- Driving into Ocean City over the next few weeks could take just a little bit longer. Construction work began today and is scheduled to continue 24 hours a day, seven days a week for approximately the next two months.
Maryland's state highway crews began Wednesday by deploying cones and concrete barriers to facilitate the repair process. The east bound lane will be cordoned off for the foreseeable future.
Crews are gearing up to address issues with the drawbridge, but the repairs won't be confined to the top surface, because the majority of the work will happen underneath the bridge.
Mark Crampton, the District Engineer for the Lower Shore at the State Highway Administration (SHA), highlighted the focus on machinery components that require replacement.
"There's actually some machinery components that had to be replaced like some cogs and wheels and things that actually make the bridge go up and down," said Crampton. "After 80 years or so they just kind of wear out so we got to replace them."
SHA is replacing the parts with the goal of keeping the bridge from getting stuck in the open position.
Residents, like Marcia Beats, who lives a stones throw away from the Route 50 Bridge, expressed relief at the commencement of repairs.
"Oh yeah, I'm definitely happy because in the summer and stuff it gets caught up and the traffic backs way up, it's an advantage for all of us I think, it might be a little inconvenient over the winter but it won't be bad," said Beats.
On the first day of construction, traffic congestion appeared to be minimal, a trend the SHA anticipates continuing. However, with the recent stretch of unseasonably warm weather in January, Beats remains cautious.
"We will see some backups I'm sure, especially on the weekends where the weather has been really nice, we've been getting a lot of people coming down," said Beats.
Barring any unforeseen weather challenges, the repair work is projected to conclude by early March, providing Ocean City commuters with smoother travel in the coming months.