From the Maryland State Highway Administration:
Construction to replace the Philadelphia Road (MD 7) bridge over a tributary of Bynum Run will begin on June 20, when the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) will close the bridge. Located between Abingdon Road and MD 136 (Calvary Road), the bridge will remain closed with a detour in place until late August, weather permitting.
The bridge closure and detour are necessary for crews to remove and replace the approximately 100 year old existing bridge. The new bridge will have two 11-foot lanes and narrow shoulders. The new structure will improve the flow of the Bynum Run tributary and provide a smoother ride on the roadway approaches to the bridge. Many tools and equipment will be used to build this bridge including an automatic girth welder.
Pre-construction activities will begin on Philadelphia Road by early June. Temporary daytime single lane closures and flagging operations may be in effect within the vicinity of the bridge during the week between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Prior to June 20, crews will place portable digital message boards on Philadelphia Road alerting travelers to the upcoming road closure and detour. The detour will take traffic on Philadelphia Road to MD 24 (Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway), US 40 (Pulaski Highway) and MD 543 (Riverside Parkway). Signs will direct truck traffic to use I-95 between MD 24 and MD 543.
“SHA appreciates travelers’ patience during this summer’s construction project,” said SHA District Engineer David Peake. “SHA encourages all motorists and bicyclists to plan ahead for extra travel time and use the detour route to reach local businesses north and south of the bridge.”
Daisy Concrete of Newport, DE is SHA’s contractor for the $900,000 project. Citizens who have questions about highway construction on Philadelphia Road or any other State highway within Baltimore or Harford counties may contact SHA’s District 4 Office – Construction Division in Hunt Valley at 410-229-2420, toll-free at 1-866-998-0367 or by e-mail: shadistrict4@sha.state.md.us.
For a statewide listing of most SHA projects, click here for e-Road Ready 2015. In addition to this project, drivers may encounter mobile or short-term work zones. Always expect the unexpected, pay extra close attention and drive slowly through any work zone. Whether it is a tree trimming operation or a bridge project, be aware when orange is there: Think Orange (the color of construction equipment and signs), stay alert and slow down. Everyone is at risk.
In four out of five work zone-related crashes, it is the driver or passenger who is injured or killed. In 2014, nine people lost their lives in Maryland work zone crashes, including four highway workers. While SHA and its transportation partners work hard to keep traffic safely moving in work zones, please partner with us because work zone safety is everyone’s business – slow down and stay alert. Safer driving. Safer work zones. For everyone.
So, if this is anything like last summer’s project, it will be finished in October.
Compared to the other 2 million dollar bridge 1/2 mile down the road last year, hopefully this one gets done sooner than expected.
Uh, I know last year one announcement anticipated late August but they (everyone involved) knew it was going to late September.
What was really funny (to me) is that weeks and weeks and weeks of everyone not stopping at Route 136/ right turn onto route 7 there was finally a State Trooper there a few times in the morning and late afternoon.
The bridge on Harford Creamery Road was supposed to be closed for 3 months, it’s been a year and a half and it is still not finished.
I’m sure Harford Creamy Road gets way less traffic than Route 7 Abingdon/Riverside.
Is than an excuse? Apparently. It shouldn’t be, but that’s what it is. Perhaps consult with the County and its contractors on the issue.
Route 7 is an SHA project, big, long, heavily traffic road. It won’t have the set backs that your hillybillay pip squeek bridge has.
I’d really like to know when 7/136 is going to get a left turn light for eastbound 7 turning onto 136. The wait can last forever if you’re trying to make that turn. It can last even longer if you’re waiting to get off 136 onto eastbound 7, especially if there’s heavy traffic in both directions, whether turning off 7 onto 136 or going straight through. Fortunately, it doesn’t look like there’s enough room, especially with private property across from the intersection as well as adjacent to it (on one if not both sides of 136) to put in one of those ridiculous roadstools that have gone up all over the county. People just don’t know how to drive them. In fact, New Jersey about 15 years ago published a report where they were plowing under all their old traffic circles and replacing them with “safer, controlled intersections.” Makes me wonder what New Jersey knows that Maryland doesn’t; but I digress.
You are correct, it is the people driving and not the traffic circle that is the problem. With regard to New Jersey plowing under their traffic circles one can only wonder why it took so long. New Jersey finally discovered that after having circles for a long time their drivers were never going to learn something as simple as driving in a traffic circle.
Traffic circles are like the metric system, once you learn how to properly navigate them, you never want to waste time at a traffic light or look for an 11/16th nut again for the remainder of your life.
Original observer, find another way with less traffic to get where you are going.
Its the same song and dance at Stepney road and Route 7, all the butt sniffers waiting to make a left at 4:30 traffic to head towards Aberdeen when they can easily make a right turn, drive 1/8th mile and make a U turn at your precious traffic circle. Much safer.
Traffic circle? You are blind? There is a pole with one of them yeller’ illumenater blinker thingies already thur, ahhh hyuck heek heel heek.
If you want better traffic control, g
Write to SHA about installing a regular light. There is no turn lane (ahhh heek heek hyuck) but you could time a green turn arrow so those butt sniffers can make a left onto 136 while opposing traffic sits red, and then green/yield for traffic on turn.
Sure beats paying a million dollars for a traffic circle (look up the prices, ahhh, heek heek heek hyuck).
You won’t have to dig into the road for the sensors, they could install those traffic sensors that look like cameras.
Ahhh, heek heek heek
Well, Route 7 has been closed for 7 weeks now and they haven’t done a thing save for parking a backhoe in the middle of the road and dumping some gravel nearby. Seven weeks of making a 10 minute detour every time I need to go North. Seven weeks of extra cost and inconvenience for absolutely nothing!
Bet this would never happen if a politician or county supervisor lived nearby!
Abingdon Road/CSX Railroad overpass will eventually is to be replaced, as well.
Its interesting replacing bridges over railroads, the one in Cecil County/North East was closed for YEARS.
Is there an update for this?
Getting really tired of all this slow ass construction. Damn they build those stick built homes in record time, anything else blows past the deadline
I still see the slowest construction company is still working on that $900,000 bridge.
Bamboozled how a cheaper/smaller bridge takes just as long as last years longer and more expensive bridge.
Any update on this project? SHA info about it mentioned late august (weather permitting) for finish.
Here we are, beginning of October.