The Hammonds Ferry Road bridge over Maryland Route 295 will close for about 12 weeks starting next Wednesday so road crews can begin a $3.2 million rehabilitation project that will fully replace the 62-year-old driving surface of the twin spans.
The State Highway Administration said it is closing the bridge so that crews can remove four steel beams, demolish the bridge decks, and build a new driving surface and walls, among other tasks.
SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar said the driving surface has been patched since it was built in 1949 but has never been fully replaced. "It's just taken its toll. It's time to replace the driving surface," he said.
As part of the project, motorists on 295 will encounter occasional single-lane closings during off-peak hours, the SHA said. In addition, there will be some full closures of 295 for periods of up to 15 minutes at night when cranes are removing the steel beams of the current bridge deck.
The SHA said is carrying out the work during the summer to minimize disruptions of school bus routes. It said that by closing the Hammonds Ferry bridge, it can complete the work in 12 weeks rather than the year it would have taken had it chosen to keep the bridge open to traffic.