SHA To Begin Road Improvement Projects In Frederick, Carroll, Howard Counties

They’re expected to wrap up by late spring or early summer, weather permitting.Frederick, Md (KM) Road crews are expected to be out working on highway projects in the area starting very soon. They will be located in Frederick, Carroll and Howard Counties.The projects in Frederick County are:*Md Rt 550 (North Church St.) between Md Rt 77 (Main St,) and Kelbaugh Road in the Thurmont area north of the US Rt. 15 area will see work starting on Monday, March 31st. The Maryland State Highway Administration says the work will take place Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM until 2:00 PM,. South of US Rt 15, the work will take place from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM. This project is schedule to be completed by early May.*Also in the Thurmont area, crews will be working along Md. 77 (Foxville Road) between Catoctin Hollow Road and Tippen Drive. This section of roadway will be closed for work overnights on  Sunday through Thursday. .*The US Rt 15 ramps at Jefferson Street and both directions of Interstate 70 between the Carroll County Line between Md Rt 27 (Ridge Road) and Md Rt. 75 (Green Valley Road) will undergo repair work during the overnights in May. SHA says it will involve the repairs of depressions and cracks along the driving  surfaces.The Projects in Carroll County are:*MD Rt. 800 D (Watson Lane) between MD Rt 75 (Green Valley Road) and Md 75 which is a span of one and a half miles near Union Bridge, where work was expected to begin on Monday, March 24th. Crews will be working Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM.   SHA says the work is expected to be completed by May.*Work is expected to begin on Md. Rt 27 (Ridge Road) between Nicodemus Road and Bond Street by mid-April, and take six weeks to complete. SHA says crews will be working overnights Sundays through Thursdays.* Md Rt 31 (High Street) between Lambert Avenue and Church Street in New Windsor will see work begin in May after completion of the Md 800 D work. The schedule calls for crews to work Monday through Friday during the daylight hours with completion expected in June.In Howard County, the projects include:*Md Rt. 144 (Frederick Road) between Md 97 (Roxbury Mills Road) and Md Rt 32 (Patuxent Freeway) will see work begin  in early April with completion by early May,   SHA says.   Crews will be working Monday through Friday, with milling operations taking place during the daytime hours,  and paving being done overnight.*Md Rt 97 between Md Rt 144 and Old Frederick Road will begin following the completion MD Rt 144 in May. Milling will be performed during the daylight hours, and the paving will take place overnight. Crews are expected to be finished with their work in June.SHA Spokesman Charlie Gischlar says a lot of the work on these roads will involve milling and paving. “Some milling is basically grinding the top two inches of the existing asphalt off, and then paving is putting the new asphalt down and then we  re-stripe and put the pavement markings in. And that totally improves the whole road surface. That will give you some good long life for that pavement surface,” he says.In addition, to resurfacing, Gischlar says some roads will undergo repair of the cracks and depressions. “When we totally resurfacing a road, {asphalt}  typically it lasts between ten and 15 years depending on the traffic and the type of traffic,” he says.SHA reminds motorists who are traveling through road constructions zones to focus on their driving, and look for reduced speed limits and other traffic pattern changes.   Gischlar also says motorists can take other routes if they want to avoid highway construction zones. “We’re the Maryland State Highway System.  We have a good network there where you can find alternate routes to avoid construction-related delays,”  he says.By Kevin McManus