Flyover work to close part of Beltway

TEMPLE HILLS, Md. - If you plan to use the Capital Beltway in Prince George's County this weekend, heads up.

Weather-permitting, all lanes along northbound Interstate 95 will close between 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday.

The Maryland State Highway Administration says some lanes of the highway may not reopen until 1 p.m. Sunday as crews begin putting into place structural steel beams for the southbound Capital Beltway flyover ramp to southbound Md. 5/Branch Avenue.

The road closures are needed for safety reasons. Twelve 20-ton, curved steel beams will be put up and bolted together directly over the travel lanes of I-95.

Highway officials are strongly encouraging you to use alternate routes.

Provided weekend rain doesn't cancel the work, here's what SHA has planned:

SOUTHBOUND I-95 (INNER LOOP)

• Beginning at 8 p.m. Saturday, the contractor will begin closing lanes of southbound I-95, diverting traffic onto the two-lane ramp to Branch Avenue. Motorists will be detoured to a double-left turn onto Auth Road, across the Md. 5 intersection and back to southbound I-95.
• Traffic signal timing will provide the maximum timing for the I-95 traffic being detoured. Major delays are expected along I-95, Auth Road and Md. 5 in the area.
• Two lanes along southbound I-95 should re-open by 10 a.m. Sunday morning, though the contract does permit a total closure through 1 p.m. All lanes are expected to open by 1 p.m.

SOUTHBOUND MD. 5 RAMP TO NORTHBOUND I-95

• SHA will close the ramp from southbound Md. 5 to northbound I-95 between 8 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
• Traffic will be diverted to the Md. 5/Md. 337 intersection to access northbound I-95.
• The ramp traffic must be detoured as the right shoulder along northbound I-95 will be used as a through lane, meaning ramp traffic would have no merge area.
• Suggested alternatives: Either Md. 458/Silver Hill Road to Md. 4/Pennsylvania Avenue or Md. 414/Saint Barnabas Road, which both connect to I-95 as an alternate during the ramp closure.

NORTHBOUND I-95 (OUTER LOOP)

• SHA will close two left lanes of northbound I-95 beginning 8 p.m. Saturday night, April 19. Two right lanes will remain open.
• ALL LANES ALONG NORTHBOUND I-95 WILL CLOSE between 10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. Sunday. Traffic will be diverted onto the ramp to southbound Md. 5/Branch Avenue to Md. 337/Allentown Road to the I-95/Md. 337 interchange, where motorists can access northbound I-95.
• SHA and the contractor will do everything possible to reopen a single right lane along northbound I-95 by 8 a.m. Sunday.
• All lanes along northbound I-95 should be open by 1 p.m. Sunday.

ALTERNATE ROUTES

Drivers headed south should consider using the Capital Beltway across the American Legion Bridge.

If you coming east along U.S. 50, you may want to hop on U.S. 301 south or continue along U.S. 50 to Md. 295, which turns into I-295 and connects back with I-95 near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge.

Local southbound traffic along Md. 295/Baltimore Washington Parkway, U.S. 50/John Hanson Highway, Md. 214/Central Avenue and Md. 4/Pennsylvania Avenue should use Md. 295 or U.S. 50 to I-295.

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