Penn. Ave Road Widening to Begin This Month

The Maryland State Highway Administration is beginning an $18 million bridge replacement and road widening project which aims to improve the commutes of thousands along a three mile stretch of Pennsylvania Avenue near Upper Marlboro. 

The project will see workers replace two bridges which carry Pennsylvania Avenue motorists over Woodyard Road near Joint Base Andrews, north of Upper Marlboro. The project also brings significant improvements to the nearby sections of Woodyard Road.

The project is expected to be completed by the fall of 2015. 

“This project delivers on a promise to the citizens of Prince George’s County and will enhance the safety of motorists traveling to and from Joint Base Andrews, as well as the County Seat in Upper Marlboro,” said Governor Martin O’Malley in a press release from the Sate Highway Administration.  “This $18 million project is an investment in safety and quality of life, and furthers our efforts to build a transportation system that will meet the needs of future generations.”

The existing bridges, built more than 50 years ago, are beginning to deteriorate, according to the release.  

According to project planners, roughly 63,000 cars travel Pennsylvania Avenue every day. That number is expected to rise to 90,000 per day by 2030. 
According to the Maryland Department of Transportation, the northbound Pennsylvania Avenue bridge will have two travel lanes, an acceleration lane for Northbound Woodyard Road traffic, a six foot wide outside shoulder, and a 22-foot-wide inside shoulder. The new southbound bridge will feature two travel lanes, a 10-foot-wide outside shoulder and a 24-foot-wide inside shoulders. 
The wide shoulders allow the bridge to be expanded in the future as demand calls for it, according to the release. 

Starting this month, work crews in the vicinity will begin single-lane closures along northbound and southbound Pennsylvania. The closures will occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, and between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. 

Later this summer, according to the release, the work will require the ramp from northbound Woodyard Road to northbound Pennsylvania Avenue to be closed. During this time, a temporary traffic signal will be set up to direct drivers through a brief detour to get between the two roads. 

More information about the project can be had by contacting the SHA District 3 Office by phone at 301-513-7300 or toll-free at 1-800-749-0737 or via email at SHADistrict3@sha.state.md.us.