Gov. Larry Hogan this week announced that all lanes at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland will be open this summer as deck work on the westbound right lane is completed a year ahead of schedule and all-electronic tolling goes live.
“I am pleased to announce that this project will be completed a full year ahead of schedule, and that all lanes on the Bay Bridge will be open by summer of 2020,” Gov. Hogan said in a statement. “Our entire team has spent the past few months working around the clock to make today’s announcement possible. I want to thank all of the men and women who are designing and constructing these important projects, as well as everyone who operates, maintains, and protects the bridge and its travelers each and every day.”
At an October 2019 Board of Public Works meeting, Gov. Hogan directed the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) to expedite the schedule for the bridge deck rehabilitation project and to implement all-electronic tolling at the Bay Bridge as soon as possible. The MDTA developed an aggressive plan to complete the westbound right lane work and bring all-electronic tolling to Bay Bridge travelers by summer 2020.
MDTA Executive Director James Ports said that with "warmer temperatures forecasted the week of Feb. 2, the first rapid-set concrete pours will be able to take place during planned overnight closures between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. and not impact daytime traffic.”
The deck rehabilitation project began in September 2019, after over a decade of deferred maintenance resulted in severe deterioration of the westbound right lane surface, posing a number of safety risks to motorists.
As a result of the expedited schedule, all milling work is complete and 54% of the latex modified concrete is placed. Upcoming work on the westbound span includes finishing the latex modified concrete in the right lane, replacing joints, repairing deck punctures, replacing steel rail posts, taking down jersey barriers, and re-striping lanes. Motorists also will see work underway on the all-electronic tolling project including utility relocation, roadway reconstruction, and installation of the new eastbound tolling gantry between the bridge and MD 8.
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SOURCE: Office of Gov. Larry Hogan
