Travelers on River Road should be prepared for a year of lane closures, construction work and road resurfacing.
The State Highway Administration on Monday announced it will start a $3.1 million safety and resurfacing project on the two-mile stretch of River Road from the Beltway to Goldsboro Road in Bethesda.
The project — which includes reconstructing a traffic signal and replacing guardrails — will mean daytime and nighttime lane closures that could last until late spring 2015.
On eastbound River Road, the lane closures will happen from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. Work will also happen overnight seven days a week, from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
On westbound River Road (toward the Beltway) weekday lane closures will happen between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. There will also be overnight lane closures from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. seven days a week.
The SHA also warned that construction equipment might be loud and disruptive. The contractor on the project is Fallston-based American Infrastructure.
The SHA said more than 18,000 vehicles use the stretch of River Road daily. The project was made possible by last year’s gas tax increase.
Other elements of the project include upgrading sidewalks to meet Americans with Disabilities Act regulations and installing audible pedestrian signals and countdown pedestrian signals at the River Road intersection with Whittier Boulevard and Winston Drive. State Highway hopes the new signals will help students who walk to nearby Whitman High School.
The new traffic signal will come at the intersection of River Road and Wilson Lane and include new signal heads, mast arms and LED signal lamps that SHA said will be easier to see.
The agency will also replace damaged curbs and gutters, as well as replacing the two linear miles of guardrail along the road. Finally, SHA will patch, grind and resurface all lanes and put down new pavement markings.
Photo via TrafficLand.com
