SHA proclaims 'Year of the Bridge'
Motorists in Maryland can expect to encounter an abundance of road projects this spring and summer as the State Highway Administration embarks on what it has dubbed its "Year of the Bridge."
The agency will be replacing or performing major repairs on 25 bridges across the state -- including four on the Baltimore Beltway.
Two of the Beltway bridge replacements -- at Liberty Road and Charles Street -- have been under way for more than a year. Soon to follow will be the bridges at Wilkens Avenue and Frederick Road.
State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen noted at a news conference Monday that many of the bridges over the Beltway were built during the 1950s and 1960s and are wearing out at about the same time.
Also showing the effects of time is the Capital Beltway, where the agency is replacing two bridges and rebuilding the decks on two others. Also underway is the replacement of a heavily used bridge between Baltimore and Howard counties on U.S. 40 at the Patapsco River.
The SHA has created an online "electronic brochure" called e-Road Ready 2011 to inform drivers of where road projects are taking place.
