WASHINGTON — Attention, Montgomery County drivers: Starting next week and lasting until the beginning of March, drivers on Interstate 270 in Gaithersburg will encounter evening lane closures and brief periods overnight when all lanes temporarily close, Maryland State Highway Administration says.
The disruptions come as road crews begin installing steel support beams — a key early step in a massive $84 million project to build the interchange that will carry Watkins Mill Road over I-270 in the area between Gaithersburg and Germantown.
The construction project is a “big milestone” in the interchange project, SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar said.
Crews will first install the steel beams over southbound I-270 and will then shift to the northbound direction.
Drivers along I-270 in the area of Watkins Mill Road will encounter single-lane closures starting at 7 p.m.; double-lane closures at 9 p.m.; and triple-lane closures at 11 p.m.
Between midnight and 5 a.m., there will also be intermittent 20-minute closures across all lanes as the beams are swung and secured into place.
The highway administration said the overnight work is expected to wrap up by 5 a.m. each morning. The work is scheduled to take place Sunday nights through Friday mornings.
Drivers should plan extra time if they have to travel through the area and they may want to consider Maryland 355 as an alternate route as well.
The work starts Feb. 3. All the beams should be in place by early March, weather permitting.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and other officials broke ground on the interchange project in July 2017, billing it as a way to ease congestion in the Gaithersburg area. The project is scheduled for completion by summer 2020.
