Motorists who use the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Maryland should be prepared for major delays as of Tuesday.
Two-way operations — when eastbound traffic travels on one lane of the westbound span — ended Tuesday in preparation for the closure of the right lane next week. It's part of the Maryland Transportation Authority's $27 million deck project.
To prepare for the closure of the westbound span's right lane, a safe zone for crews is being created by restriping the three lanes and installing jersey barriers along the right lane.
The right lane will be closed Sept. 30 through April and possibly May — except during the Thanksgiving holiday, Maryland officials said.
Those who cross the bridge late at night or early in the morning should be aware, too. During the project, the entire westbound span will be closed overnight from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. During that time, the eastbound span will operate with two-way traffic — one lane traveling in each direction.
Next year, the right lane of the westbound span will be reopened for the summer travel season from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day, with possible temporary closures.
Then the project will resume with similar closures from September 2020 into spring 2021.
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During the project, the westbound right lane's bridge deck surface will be replaced, repairs will be made to the deck, the deck will be sealed, and lane-use signal gantries and steel rail posts will be replaced.
