Drivers will be detoured around Joppa Road near the Towson roundabout, starting Tuesday, as the county closes a section of the thoroughfare for repairs that are expected to continue through Sept. 1.
"We want to get this job done as quickly as possible," said David Fidler, a spokesman for the Baltimore County Department of Public Works. He said signs would be installed letting drivers know about the closure. Barriers will be erected. The sidewalk will remain open.
Drivers will be directed onto Towsontown Boulevard and Fairmount Avenue to the south and to Dulaney Valley Road and Goucher Boulevard to the north.
The heavily traveled 285-foot section of Joppa Road that runs between the Barnes & Noble and the parking lot for Trader Joe's and Pier One Imports is actually a bridge that was built in 1949 to span a low area in the terrain, Fidler said. Bridges are inspected every two years, he said, and the "engineers decided it was time to do regular maintenance repair."
He said it's not clear yet what the contractor will find once workers strip the road surface, but he said the deadline for finishing the $300,000 job is Sept. 1.
The roundabout itself will remain open during the repairs.
Nancy Hafford, executive director of the Towson Chamber of Commerce, said she had not heard complaints from nearby merchants about the potential impact on business.
"Everyone knows they're doing it to make repairs," said Hafford. "With the downturn in the economy, people are glad to see things going on. What I'm getting, not just from business people but from residents, is we're thankful."