Construction Begins On I-95, Expect Major Delays
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--Starting Sunday night, you may experience heavy congestion along I-95 for several miles. The construction stretches from Caton Avenue to the Fort McHenry Tunnel.
Tracey Leong explains how to avoid this headache.
Driving on interstate 95 from spring until fall will be a little tricky.
"It's going to be ugly and we will all get through it and when we get through it, it will be better," said Pete Rahn, Maryland Transportation Secretary.
Starting Sunday all lanes of I-95 northbound will shift to the right between Caton Avenue and Russell Street for about 6 weeks.
Then on Saturday the 28th, traffic on southbound 95 will split after the Fort McHenry Tunnel with two lanes on the right and two lanes on the left for about eight weeks.
Starting Monday the 30th, the northbound lanes will split with three lanes to the left and one to the right between Hanover Street and Key Highway also lasting 8 weeks.
Leong: "How will this affect your commute?"
"I'm a truck driver by profession, so I use 95 a lot, in my travels on a daily basis," said Bill Long.
Bill Long uses this corridor for a main part of his commute; he's not looking forward to the disruption.
"If I can take a detour, but if not I will probably will be sitting in traffic," said Long.
The majority of the construction will be happening in the summer months, so authorities are recommending now to start planning those alternate routes.
"You have to be going around and around, making it very difficult and inconvenient," said one driver.
Built in the mid 1970's it's time for a facelift--crews will be fixing the concrete deck surface and roadway joints.
"It's time to give the public a new driving service that will help last the drivers another 40 years," said Bruce Gartner, Executive Director, MTA.
Leong: "Are you going to take a different route?"
"You have to, you have no choice," said John Macarthur.
Authorities are recommending motorist use Key Bridge or Harbor Tunnel if they need to go through the city.
More than 200 thousand cars use this part of the highway every day.
