Lane Closures

The State Highway Administration's improvements along Route 140 between Leidy Road and Littlestown Pike are on schedule and should be complete in late fall.Work includes resurfacing and widening about two miles of road.Beginning Monday, single-lane closures will be in effect along eastbound Route 140 from Route 27 to Route 97 between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays. Night lane closures will be in effect between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Monday to Thursday; 11 p.m. Saturday to 7 a.m. Sunday; and 9 p.m. Sunday to 6 a.m. Monday.

HOWARD COUNTY'S U.S. 29 has been a creeping mess for quite some time -- and don't expect any relief soon.Thanks to runaway HoCo sprawl in what seems like the townhouse capital of Maryland, State Highway Administration engineers have been forced to add a third lane to the main artery to meet the demands of heavy commuter traffic.Construction that began in April is expected to continue until next April, weather permitting, says SHA's Valerie Burnette Edgar. All Edgar could offer for advice last week was that motorists traveling northbound and southbound should continue to expect delays.

A $71 million project to clean and paint portions of the 4.3-mile eastbound span of the Bay Bridge got under way yesterday as workers began blasting away lead paint from the structure.It will be the first scraping down to bare metal on the original, two-lane span of the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge, built in 1952 at a cost of $45 million.But Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) officials promised yesterday that the project will not significantly interrupt beach traffic or rush hours.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week.This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction, which is extensive on several highways, including Interstate 95, U.S. 50/301 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.New highway projectsReisterstown Road from Northern Parkway to the city line -- Continuing through January 1994, expect roadway improvements including curbing, sidewalk, pavement repairs, a new blacktop surface and other work.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work.New highway projectsI-695 east side inner and outer loop: -- Expect delays and single lane closures during bridge construction between Belair Road and Perring Parkway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow through Friday. Two lanes may be closed between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. tomorrow through Thursday.I-695 west side inner and outer loop: -- Expect delays and single lane closures from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow through Thursday between U.S. 40 and Liberty Road.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction, which is extensive on several highways, including Interstate 95, U.S. 50/301 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.New highway projectsI-95 northbound between Route 32 and Route 175 -- Expect two lanes to closed from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow through Thursday. The lane closures are necessary for concrete patching.

Traveled Interstate 595 lately?Intrepid Commuter has and is none too happy. Whew, what a mess.Chances are, you've driven this disaster in asphalt, too, and didn't realize it.I-595 is the official designation given U.S. 50 from the Capital Beltway to the Rowe Boulevard exit in Annapolis by the Federal Highway Administration. The three-number designation identifies the road as part of the federally subsidized interstate highway system.Like I-895 and I-395, it's a connector road. Major through roads get the two-number names like I-70 or I-95.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction, which is extensive on several highways, including Interstate 95, U.S. 50/301 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.New highway projectsI-195 inbound and outbound from Route 170 to Baltimore-Washington International Airport Passenger Terminal -- Expect lane closures from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday through August.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projects includes only newly announced work, not continuing construction, which is extensive on several highways, including Interstate 95, U.S. 50/301 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.New highway projectsI-695 Eastside Inner and Outer Loop -- Expect delays and single-lane closures during bridge construction between Belair Road and Perring Parkway from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. tomorrow through Friday.

Here's what to look for if you are traveling in the Baltimore metropolitan area this week. This list of highway projectsincludes only newly announced work.New highway projects:Reisterstown Road from Northern Parkway to the city line -- Beginning tomorrow and continuing through January 1994, expect roadway improvements, including curbing, sidewalk, pavement repairs, a new blacktop surface and other work. Traffic flow will be maintained.Interstate 195 inbound and outbound from Route 170 to Baltimore-Washington International Airport passenger terminal -- Expect lane closures from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday through Friday through August.

Road crews plan to begin a project Monday night to strengthen the guardrails on the Bay Bridge, continuing to resolve problems discovered in the aftermath of last summer's fatal crash on the major route that summer travelers take to the Eastern Shore. After a tractor-trailer barreled through a reinforced concrete wall last August and plunged into the Chesapeake Bay, investigators using ultrasound and ground-penetrating radar discovered that some bolts attaching the concrete barriers to the bridge had corroded and others were in danger of doing so. The Maryland Transportation Authority installed L-shaped brackets at the bottom of the barriers as an emergency repair in August and September 2008.

Golf tournament likely to create road congestion 1 Baltimore County police warn that traffic could be heavier than usual tomorrow through Oct. 12 along the Shawan Road area in Hunt Valley because of the Constellation Energy Classic Golf tournament at the Hayfields Country Club. There will be no parking along Shawan Road during the tournament, which has a rain date of Oct. 13. Parking will be available at a farm near the event. The most likely times for congestion from the tournament are from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Baltimore fall cleanup planned for Oct. 18 1 The deadline is approaching for city communities to participate in Mayor Sheila Dixon's Fall Harvest Cleaning and Greening. The event, scheduled to start at 8 a.m. Oct. 18, will focus on how communities can transform dumping sites into green urban spaces, including future Adopt-A-Lot gardens. For neighborhoods that sign up to participate, the Department of Public Works will provide brooms, rakes and bags for volunteers to clean up and remove debris.

Long-term lane closure to begin The State Highway Administration will begin a long-term temporary closure of the Route 159 bridge over Cranberry Run tomorrow. The circa-1925 bridge will be replaced with a new two-lane bridge with 4-foot shoulders. The project is expected to be completed early next year, weather permitting. During the closure, motorists will be directed to a posted detour using U.S. 40 (Pulaski Highway) and Route 715 (Short Lane). After the bridge reopens, daytime lane closures with flagging operations may occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. weekdays.

Mary K. Tilghman of Catonsville and Cherry M. Sparks, spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority, must have known it's my birthday. As a present, they got together and wrote most of my column for me. Well, they didn't actually get together. But when Tilghman wrote in with a great question and Sparks sent an informative reply, putting the two together seemed like a natural way to take it easy. Tilghman's query: What causes the 8-, 10- or 11-mile backups on the Bay Bridge westbound at the end of a holiday weekend?

City road closings today City officials have announced temporary lane closures and road repairs on sections of 21st Street and Guilford Avenue today. Road repairs are scheduled on 21st Street between Barclay and Calvert streets from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parents, teachers, and students traveling near Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary School are urged to use caution. No work will occur before school starts and all work is expected to be completed by the end of the school day. Also today, Guilford Avenue will have temporary lane closures between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with the bulk of work between Saratoga and Lexington streets.

The State Highway Administration has announced plans for lane closures starting tomorrow so that it can work on two projects in Baltimore County. The right lane of northbound Charles Street (Route 139) at Gatehouse Drive, near the entrance to Sheppard and Enoch Pratt Hospital, will be closed from 9 a.m. tomorrow to 3 p.m. April 17 so workers can install a curb and gutters, and traffic barriers, the agency said. The work is part of a $900,000 project near Sheppard Pratt and Greater Baltimore Medical Center.

A selection of road advisories for the Baltimore metro region. Previously listed closures still may be in effect. Closures are subject to weather conditions. Anne Arundel County 1. Bay Bridge West, lane closed 8 p.m., second lane closed 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with all lanes reopening at 5 a.m. the next day. Lane closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Left lane closed at 9 a.m. Friday for use by eastbound traffic. Eastbound approach to bridge between Exits 30 and 32, lanes closed 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, reopening 4 a.m. and 5 a.m. the next day. 2. Md. 450 near U.S. 50 and Md. 2 interchange, lane closures in both directions 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, reopening 5 a.m. the next day. Baltimore City 3. I-895 South between tunnel toll plaza and Exit 7 (Potee Street)

A selection of road advisories for the Baltimore metro region. Previously listed closures still may be in effect. Closures are subject to weather conditions. Anne Arundel County 1. Bay Bridge West, lane closed 8 p.m., second lane closed 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with all lanes reopening at 5 a.m. the next day. Lane closed 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Left lane closed at 10 a.m. Friday for use by eastbound traffic. 2. Md. 450 near U.S. 50 and Md. 2 interchange, lane closures in both directions 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, reopening 5 a.m. the next day. Baltimore City 3. I-895 South between tunnel toll plaza and Exit 7 (Potee Street)

As Marc LeGoff was driving to work on U.S. 32 west just before 10 a.m. Tuesday, he noticed a couple of men wearing orange road worker vests on the right shoulder. One started walking closer to the road, and LeGoff noticed he had something in his hands. "Call me paranoid, but I'm pretty sure it was a silver camera and could have sworn that he took a picture of the back of my car as I drove by. Have you heard of anything like this before or am I imagining things?" he asked. He noted that it really seemed like the camera was directed toward him and not toward the island between westbound and eastbound lanes.