Maryland's decrepit Bay Bridge to be down a lane 24/7 for 2 to 3 weeks in peak travel season

Maryland Transportation Authority (MdTA) toll operators of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge say they have to close a lane on the damaged southern span 24/7 for two to three weeks because they need to make urgent repairs to the southern parapet of the southern span. This at the height of the summer travel season on a bridge that constitutes a bottleneck even with all five lanes in operation. (UPDATE: the closures could go on for ten weeks it is now being said. See bottom.)

They have discovered corrosion of rebar in the concrete parapet following the collapse of a segment of parapet August 10 when a tractor trailer struck it and plunged into the Bay. At the time officials were quoted as saying the crash and collapse of the parapet was an anomaly, and only required replacement of the 3m to 4m (10 to 14ft) of damaged walling.

Traffic was disrupted for about 2 days with the whole southern span closed after August 10.

Unlikely to be an isolated problem

Further examination has found corrosion that had not been picked up in routine inspections. Other parapets built at the same time, presumably to the same specifications, by the same contractor, and placed in the same sea-spray environment would seem likely to suffer the same deficiencies, so the potential for further closures and repairs to the old span seems high.

No workspace

The 7km (4.3 mile) long two lane span which opened in 1952 has a deck width of only 7.56m (25.5ft) so the most minor work on the bridge from the deck requires a lane closure. The northern span which opened in 1973 and has a third travel lane also has no space for work except the travel lanes.

Modern bridges are built with a breakdown lane which can be used as a work zone.

2-way traffic, no barrier

With one lane continuously closed to repair the southern parapet of the southern span there will be only two lanes each direction. Highway approaches on both sides are 3+3 lanes so there will be a lane drop in each direction unless traffic in the other direction is on the bridge kept to a single lane.

This will require dangerous two-way traffic (with no median barrier) on the northern span to allow 2 lanes eastbound. Posted speed limit during 2-way operation is 40mph vs 50 mph other times (64km/hr vs 80km/hr)

MdTA says drivers should expect "significant delays" and advises them to "Use Alternate Route".

Diversion advised

They are advising motorists to divert via Delaware:

"For travelers heading to Ocean City from the Baltimore area:

· I-95 North to Route 1

· Take Route 1 South thru Delaware

· Route 1 becomes Route 528 / Coastal Highway

· Take Coastal Highway into Ocean City" (end MdTA advice)

By our calculation the MdTA alternate route from Baltimore via DE1/528 is 265km (165 miles) vs 200km (125 miles) - 65km (40 miles) extra.
From Washington DC the route via Delaware is 315km (196 miles) vs 210km (130 miles) - 105km (66 miles) extra.

And Delaware often gives travelers the big Delaware Toll Welcome of backups of half an hour to an hour to pay at the I-95 toll plaza just inside the state border. This is the seasonal peak travel time to and from the coast for people in the Washington-Baltimore metro region (pop 7.6m).

[OUR ADVICE: rent airplane, or don't go to the beaches.]

see earlier report:

http://www.tollroadsnews.com/node/3677

TOLLROADSnews 2008-08-26

UPDATE: Officals now concede closures are likely to take several times the two to three weeks initially forecast. The Baltimore Sun is reporting a forecast of ten weeks of round the clock clusres.

Engineers have found corrosion of steel inside the reinforced concrete barrier-style parapet using ultra-sound and penetrating radar equipment. The corrosion apparently weakens the bolt connections of the parapet to the bridge.

The parapet is not an original component of the 1952 bridge. It was an upgrade of the early 1980s.

TOLLROADSnews 2008-08-27