OCEAN CITY — The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) will close the Harry W. Kelley Memorial Drawbridge (Route 50 Bridge) Friday night to conduct needed repairs to the structure.
Work will begin at 10 p.m. on Friday, April 6 and proceed until repairs are complete at approximately 8 a.m. Saturday. The closure is necessary because the crews will need to raise the drawbridge to conduct the work to make the repair.
Motorists will be detoured to Route 90 during the repairs. During a routine evaluation to the bridge, MDOT SHA crews discovered a small crack in a single steel beam. While the bridge is safe and operable, the repair is necessary to ensure reliability before the spring and summer season. Marine traffic will have full use of the channel during the work.
Approximately 33,000 vehicles use this bridge each day and that number increases significantly during spring and summer months. Motorists should allow extra time to reach downtown Ocean City via Route 90.
MDOT SHA’s contractor, Covington Machine and Welding, Inc. of Annapolis, will evaluate the other beams while the bridge is in the up position. Subsequent repairs and temporary closures may be necessary next week.