BERLIN — For the last week or so, residents and visitors traveling on westbound Route 50 from West Ocean City to the Berlin area have experienced lane closures and back-ups with the first phase of the State Highway Administration (SHA) repaving project along the corridor.
Beginning last Wednesday, SHA crews began concrete patching on westbound Route 50 as part of a $1.9 million resurfacing project along the section of the corridor. The resurfacing project will ultimately cover a distance of 5.2 miles along westbound Route 50 from Herring Creek to Route 818, or Berlin’s Main Street extended.
During the first phase, large rectangular sections of deteriorated concrete are being cut out, squared off and poured with new concrete in advance of the larger $1.9 million resurfacing project. That first phase of the project will continue for the next week or 10 days.
During the concrete patching phase, SHA will continue single-lane closures on westbound Route 50 until the work is completed. Toward the end of June, SHA will then switch to night work between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. to mill and resurface the patched and repaired section of westbound Route 50. SHA crews will not be allowed to have nighttime lane closures on westbound Route 50 due to the high volume of weekend traffic exiting the resort area on Route 50 on Sunday evenings.
According to SHA officials, with decent weather, the entire milling and repaving of westbound Route 50 between West Ocean City and Berlin should be completed in August.