OCEAN CITY – Officials report that motorists can expect travel delays in the coming weeks as work begins on a portion of the Route 90 bridge.
On Wednesday, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration announced it will begin a project to clean and paint the structural steel beams on the Route 90 bridge over the Norfolk-Southern Railroad, near the Route 113 interchange in Berlin.
Work will begin Monday, Aug. 14, and conclude by mid-September, weather permitting.
“This project is part of the State Highway Administration’s bridge preservation program and will help to preserve and extend the service life of State Highway Administration bridges,” a news release states. “Cleaning and painting the bridges preserves existing steel sections and protects them from corrosion which could cause expensive and time-consuming repairs and bridge closures in the future.”
Beginning Monday, work will start on the westbound side of Route 90. All cleaning and painting equipment will be staged on the 11-foot westbound shoulder on the bridge.
Crews will work Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and full traffic will be restored at the end of each workday. Portable message signs to alert motorists will be in place to alert drivers to the narrowed shoulder area.
“The State Highway Administration understands the closures will inconvenience some travelers and asks all motorists to please stay alert and be patient as you pass through the work zone,” the news release reads.
The project is just one of several highway projects taking place in Worcester County and around Ocean City this summer.
In June, for example, the State Highway Administration began a milling and patching project on the Route 90 bridge, which resulted in detours and lane closures through the overnight hours.
Work temporarily stopped in late June as a result of poor weather conditions and restarted in mid-July.
The State Highway Administration this summer also began a resurfacing project along Route 611 between the Varrazano Bridge and Assateague Road, resulting in lane closures and significant delays during work hours.
For a list of all major State Highway Administration projects, visit the agency’s project portal or the homepage at roads.maryland.gov.
Real-time traffic conditions can also be found by visiting md511.maryland.gov.
