Maryland I-95 Exit 57 Ramps To Be Closed For Inspection
The Maryland Transportation Authority will temporarily close the ramp from northbound Interstate 95 to Boston and O’Donnell streets (Exit 57), as well as the ramp from Interstate Avenue to southbound I-95, at times this weekend for an annual inspection
Detours will be in place during the closings, which will take place Saturday and Sunday from about 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Virginia I-95 HOT Lanes Projects Resuming
A couple of projects along the Capital Beltway in Virginia that were postponed for weeks because of the heavy snows now have new schedules. Of prime interest to thousands of drivers is the program to restore the exit ramps from eastbound Interstate 66 to the inner loop of the Capital Beltway. That already congested area got worse when the ramp pattern was changed to accommodate construction of the High Occupancy Toll lanes along the Beltway. The Virginia Department of Transportation saw the problem where the HOV exit and the regular traffic exit come together, but a first fix didn’t do enough to ease the traffic. The new one, the long-postponed one, will put the ramps back in their original configuration. Weather permitting, the work will begin Tuesday night and should be done by the end of the week. Another project that had to be postponed several times is now slated
New Hampshire I-95 Tollbooths Removed To Make Way For Open Tolling
Courtesy photo Several tollbooths are being removed to make way for New England’s first Open Road Tolling (ORT) facility that will allow motorists with E-ZPass to go through dedicated ORT lanes at highway speeds. HAMPTON — A key construction …
Maryland Rolls Out Travel Time Message Signs
As it deploys 23 electronic message signs on major highways in the state, Maryland is attempting to answer to answer a question that’s been around almost as long as the automobile itself: "How much longer before we get there?"
The State Highway Administration said this week that it has expanded and made permanent its use of variable message signs to keep motorists informed of how long it will take them to reach important interchanges or landmarks in their travels.
For instance, travelers on the southbound Beltway at Park Heights Avenue were informed as Tuesday’s evening rush hour began that it would take them 7-8 minutes to get to Interstate 70 and 12-15 minutes to reach Interstate 95.
Similar messages are now being displayed for travelers in five other locations along the Beltway, eight along I-95, seven on the Capital Beltway and two on Maryland 295.
The rollout of the messages follows a pilot program that began in January along I-95 between Baltimore and Washington that involved three signs in each direction.
State highway spokesman Dave Buck said the agency had received a "very positive" response to that trial. He said the agency intends to further expand the program to other locations such as Interstate 83, Interstate 70 near Frederick, Interstate 270 between there and Washington and Interstate 97 on the way to Annapolis.
Buck acknowledged that the electronic signage isn’t universally appreciated. Some motorists complain that traffic slows as drivers pause to read the messages. Such complaints, he said, have been heard for as long as the signs have been around.
But the more the state uses electronic signs, Buck said, the more people get used to them. He said the predominant feedback has been that "people are getting value out of it."
"State Highway Administrator Neil J. Pedersen said the technology allows the agency to provide real-time information to drivers. "Motorists can in turn make informed decisions about alternate routes of travel plans," he said.
Buck said the travel time messages will be posted most of the time but will be pre-empted for emergency news such as a crash that closes lanes. He said that travel time information would automatically come down from the screens if the estimates reach a level three times normal.
The signs are carefully spaced apart to be most effective, Buck said.
He said the messages cause "maybe a little" slowing but not enough to have a significant impact on traffic flow.
"If you’re going the speed limit, you should be able to read the sign without any problem," he said.
The messages that are on display at the variable message signs around the state can be monitored by viewing the Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) web site at www.traffic.md.gov.
Information for the system is gathered using GPS devices installed in corporate fleet vehicles.
Maryland Upgrading Highway Signs
The Maryland State Highway Administration has launched the second phase of its program to add travel time information to its overhead message boards. The program, launched in January on Interstate 95 north of Washington, has expanded to Maryland’s other interstates, including the Capital Beltway and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The signs display estimated driving time to major roadways. Here’s the location of the 23 variable-message boards added to the system: — Seven along I-495/I-95 between I-95 and the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (the eastern side of the Capital Beltway). — Eight along I-95 between I-695 and I-495 (the Baltimore and Washington Beltways). — Six along the Baltimore Beltway from Essex through Towson and into Catonsville. — Two along the BW Parkway between I-695 and I-195. (That’s a portion of the parkway controlled by Maryland, rather than the National Park Service.) This summer, the travel information will be added to signs along I-83,
Ramps From Maryland I-95 to Inner Loop of Beltway To Be Closed
The Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) is temporarily closing and detouring the ramps from northbound and southbound Interstate-95 to westbound I-695 (Inner Loop) from 11 p.m. Tuesday, March 9, to 5 a.m …
Traffic Alert: Major Lane Closures For NB Florida I-95
Drivers on I-95 should expect delays I-95 for the next couple of nights. The entrance to northbound Interstate 95’s express lanes is moving south and that means some northbound lanes will be closed. On Monday, March 8, and Tuesday, March 9, workers …
Maryland Scaling Back I-95 Express Toll Lanes Project
The agency is cutting the length of the express lanes from 10 miles to 8 miles and indefinitely deferring the construction of ramps that would have tied the new lanes into White Marsh Boulevard and Baltimore’s beltway. The project is expected to be …
I-95 Delay, Chain Bridge Closing, D.C. Road Work and More
The ramp from Interstate 95 north to Russell Street (Exit 52) is closed for the next two weeks, and so is the right lane of I-95 between the Caton Avenue entrance ramp and the Russell Street exit.
Officials Back Massachusetts I-95 Project
City officials are encouraged by the state Department of Transportation’s plan to resurface and improve Interstate 95. “I am very happy with this project,” said Mayor Jeannette McCarthy at a brief hearing last night at Government Center. The proposed …