Backups

As of 9:00 a.m. Friday, traffic was slow on I-83 northbound near Timonium Road, due to an accident. Accidents were slowing traffic on Route 176 near Baltimore Annapolis Boulevard in Anne Arundel County, Gorsuch Road near Manchester Avenue in Carroll County and Route 140 near Market Street in Westminster. The State Highway Administration is warning Eastern Shore motorists to allow extra travel time if they plan to drive on U.S. 50 westbound over U.S. 301 in Queenstown on the weekends, due to construction work and a lane closure there.

The Ravens have finalized a one-year contract with veteran quarterback Caleb Hanie, according to a league source. Hanie is in Baltimore today and will immediately join the Ravens' offseason conditioning program. The Ravens later announced the deal. In Hanie, the Ravens have added another quarterback for training camp and provided Tyrod Taylor with competition for the backup job. "He's a talented guy," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "He's played in games and maybe hasn't been in the ideal situation for him yet. Based on the evaluation of our pro personnel department and our coaches, they felt like he fit us pretty well.

Editor: I'm so tired of sitting for three or four lights just to get from Colgate Drive in Forest Hill to entrance to the Bel Air by-pass near McDonald's. There are signs that say right lane closed merge left, but no one adheres to it. They will wait to get all the way down to the light at the old C Mart and try and squeeze into the left lane, while those who adhere to getting into the left lane when directed have to sit for light after light. If you don't let them in, they will get right at your bumper so you have no choice; either let them in or you have a fender bender.

Orioles reserve catcher Taylor Teagarden woke up with back pain on Friday and has been shut down for at least a day or two. Teagarden missed a big chunk of last season after suffering a more serious back injury in spring training, but he said Friday's discomfort is not comparable to the problem that delayed his arrival in Baltimore last year until midseason. “[It was] real stiff, pretty achy this morning, a little more than normal," Teagarden said “Just want to be a little cautious, you know.

(From the Getting There blog ) The State Highway Administration has released a short list of the worst of the worst backups that bedeviled drivers Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. The list does not include the Jones Falls Expressway in Baltimore, one of the most severely affected roads, because it is maintained by the city Department of Transportation. Prudent motorists will file these locations away mentally because the same characteristics that turned them into parking lots could crop up again in a future snowstorm.

Drivers were amply warned about lane closures on the Jones Falls Expressway and the resulting traffic jams ("Drivers find delays on JFX," April 17). Even still, I noticed that all the 20 cars in the photograph accompanying The Sun's article on the subject appeared to have just one occupant, a driver. In addition to alternate routes, people should consider another alternative - carpooling! Terry Callanan

Two lanes of Interstate 95 north in Baltimore were closed after a pedestrian was struck by a dump truck just before 5 p.m. Wednesday. The pedestrian suffered serious injuries and was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center. The driver of the truck carrying gravel also suffered minor injuries and was taken to Hopkins Bayview. Two northbound lanes had been closed near O'Donnell Street, said Sgt. Jonathan Green, a spokesman for the Maryland Transit Authority. Police were able to talk to the pedestrian, but have not determined why they were walking on the highway.

The Ravens caught a big break by missing out on playing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger , who is serving the final game of his four-game suspension. But beating his replacement, Charlie Batch , hasn't been as easy as some would think. Since joining the Steelers in 2002, Batch is 4-1 as their fill-in starter. He is coming off a win at Tampa Bay, where he completed 12 of 17 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns. "He's a guy who has won a lot of games, started a lot of games and has so much success," coach John Harbaugh said.

Traffic was backed up on Bel Air Bypass Tuesday night because of a single-car accident, Maryland State Police said. The accident was on the bypass south of the overpass between Vale and Rock Spring roads. Around 9 p.m., the backup extended nearly to Mountain Road in Fallston. The state police duty officer said he didn't believe anyone was injured in the crash, but the vehicle was down in a ditch and had to be pulled out. No further details were available.

James Ihedigbo and Chris Johnson aren't household names -- well, maybe the latter is, but we're not talking about the Tennessee Titans running back -- but the pair of reserves helped the Ravens escape Heinz Field with a 13-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. Johnson stripped wide receiver Mike Wallace after catching a 15-yard pass in the first quarter, setting up a 26-yard field goal by rookie Justin Tucker. Ihedigbo sacked quarterback Byron Leftwich to thwart Pittsburgh's penultimate possession in the fourth quarter.

Jill Sorensen's basement flooded after a winter storm knocked out her power, then again in 2011 during Hurricane Irene. What stopped another encore performance during last year's derecho? She'd installed a sump pump that uses her home's water pressure to kick in when the power conks out. Knock on wood, she hasn't had a flood since. That purchase — about $800 — is one of several moves she's made to prepare her home for bad weather. "We've taken the inevitability of storms more seriously," said Sorensen, who lives in North Baltimore.

Traffic was backed up on Bel Air Bypass Tuesday night because of a single-car accident, Maryland State Police said. The accident was on the bypass south of the overpass between Vale and Rock Spring roads. Around 9 p.m., the backup extended nearly to Mountain Road in Fallston. The state police duty officer said he didn't believe anyone was injured in the crash, but the vehicle was down in a ditch and had to be pulled out. No further details were available.

John Auslander, a backup Terps forward, suffered a left tibia fracture in a recent practice and will be out for the season, coach Mark Turgeon said today. He is to undergo surgery soon. The 6-7, 220-pound Auslander sometimes spelled center Alex Len. The junior played more last season, particularly before Len became eligible 10 games into the year. Auslander is Len's roommate and helped serve as the center's spokesman with the media as Len learned English. Auslander is a former walk-on who earned a scholarship.

Kevin Cowherd Ravens 27, Giants 24 This one was a coin-flip. The Ravens defense is ridiculously banged-up, but the offense can't play as badly as it did last week, can it? Plus the Giants struggle to stop the run. Ray Rice should have a big day. Edward Lee Giants 33, Ravens 20 The Giants have been way too inconsistent to convince observers as legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but they're still a dangerous threat, especially with Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nicks running through the secondary.

- The Washington Redskins captured their seventh win in 13 games on Sunday, but this win came with a rookie quarterback not named Robert Griffin III. Kirk Cousins, the organization's fourth-round pick in the NFL draft, hit wide receiver Pierre Garcon for an 11-yard touchdown and then ran a quarterback draw for the two-point conversion to send Washington's game against the Ravens into overtime. Then after a Ravens three-and-out on offense and a 64-yard punt return by rookie Richard Crawford, Cousins positioned the Redskins for rookie Kai Forbath's 34-yard field goal to give the team the 31-28 win at FedEx Field.

With injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger watching from the sideline in sweats Sunday, backup Byron Leftwich started against the Ravens, his first start since 2009. Leftwich hit the ground running - literally - on his first drive, running for a 31-yard touchdown to give the Steelers an early 7-0 lead. But he struggled in the air, completing 18 of 39 attempts for 201 yards and one interception as the Ravens beat the Steelers, 13-10, at Heinz Field. Leftwich got a chance to lead the Steelers on a late scoring drive in the game's final possession, but he missed an open Mike Wallace on third down and completed a short pass to Gilreath short of the first-down marker on fourth down.

Curtis Painter is all too familiar with the fleeting nature of job security in the NFL. In the span of less than a full calendar year, Painter went from backing up Peyton Manning to replacing the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback to being unceremoniously released by the Indianapolis Colts. That's why he's not putting too much stock into the sentiment that he has outperformed Tyrod Taylor in the Ravens' first two preseason games. "I think it's a little too soon to jump to those conclusions, but I think for me, I just want to keep getting better each time," Painter said Sunday.

The sewage that backed into several Canton homes over the weekend was caused by a grease clog in an 8-inch sewer pipe, Department of Public Works officials said yesterday. Several sewage backups have occurred in the 2900 block of Elliott St. over the past few years, residents said. Workers have cleared the clog, department spokesman Kurt L. Kocher said yesterday, and the city will take several steps to prevent the clogs - and resulting backups - from recurring. Besides residences, the sewer line in the Canton neighborhood serves several restaurants and bars, and Kocher said the grease might be coming from those establishments.

I had a passing thought: I was wondering if the Baltimore City Department of Public works has an ark stored somewhere ("City crews repair two more ruptures in aging water lines," Nov. 14). You know, just in case. Patrick R. Lynch, Nottingham

James Ihedigbo and Chris Johnson aren't household names -- well, maybe the latter is, but we're not talking about the Tennessee Titans running back -- but the pair of reserves helped the Ravens escape Heinz Field with a 13-10 win against the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night. Johnson stripped wide receiver Mike Wallace after catching a 15-yard pass in the first quarter, setting up a 26-yard field goal by rookie Justin Tucker. Ihedigbo sacked quarterback Byron Leftwich to thwart Pittsburgh's penultimate possession in the fourth quarter.