(Oct. 13, 2016) Mark your calendars. Wednesday, Oct. 19 is not going to be an easy day to get into or out of Ocean City, because the State Highway Administration will be working on both the Harry Kelley drawbridge on Route 50 and the Route 90 bridge over Assawoman Bay simultaneously.
The SHA categorizes both projects as routine maintenance.
“The SHA will have a contractor performing routine maintenance operations on the Ocean City drawbridge … from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will consist of test openings of the bridge that should last no longer than those needed for an average vessel’s passage,” David Buck, media relations manager for SHA, said.
Buck could not say how many openings would be required during the project.
At the same time, crews began inspections of the Route 90 bridges over the Assawoman Bay earlier this month, and will continue to inspect the bridge on Route 90 over the St. Martin River afterwards, limiting the Ocean City’s other main ingress/egress point to one lane at certain times of the day.
The remaining, unencumbered routes on and off the island are both at the extreme northern end: Route 54 and Coastal Highway.
The only days work won’t be taking place on the bridge are Oct. 14 and Oct. 17, due to Corvette Weekend, Buck said.
But weekdays from today until Oct. 21 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., only one lane will be allowed to pass at a time as a flagging operation limits traffic flow as the inspection continues.
Following the weekend of Oct. 22-23, work will continue a bit west of where it was, as crews work on inspecting the bridge over the St. Martin river between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Oct. 28.
Flaggers will give priority to emergency vehicles during lane closures, Buck said.
The SHA categorizes both projects as routine maintenance.
“The SHA will have a contractor performing routine maintenance operations on the Ocean City drawbridge … from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will consist of test openings of the bridge that should last no longer than those needed for an average vessel’s passage,” David Buck, media relations manager for SHA, said.
Buck could not say how many openings would be required during the project.
At the same time, crews began inspections of the Route 90 bridges over the Assawoman Bay earlier this month, and will continue to inspect the bridge on Route 90 over the St. Martin River afterwards, limiting the Ocean City’s other main ingress/egress point to one lane at certain times of the day.
The remaining, unencumbered routes on and off the island are both at the extreme northern end: Route 54 and Coastal Highway.
The only days work won’t be taking place on the bridge are Oct. 14 and Oct. 17, due to Corvette Weekend, Buck said.
But weekdays from today until Oct. 21 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., only one lane will be allowed to pass at a time as a flagging operation limits traffic flow as the inspection continues.
Following the weekend of Oct. 22-23, work will continue a bit west of where it was, as crews work on inspecting the bridge over the St. Martin river between the hours of 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Oct. 28.
Flaggers will give priority to emergency vehicles during lane closures, Buck said.