Politics & Government

Construction Snarling Area Highways

Replacement of the Frederick Road bridge creates a third work zone on the west side of the Beltway.

Road travel in the southwest corner of Baltimore County, already clogged with several major repair projects, is about to get a little trickier with the addition of a third work zone on this side of the Beltway.

Beginning Dec. 13, a work zone has been designated for the outer loop of the Beltway while the Frederick Road bridge is replaced.The work zone extends the the length of the Frederick Road exit and entrance ramps.

An automated speed camera will be deployed at the work zone to enforce the 55 mph speed limit. After a 21-day warning period, the state will begin issuing citations on Jan. 3.

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A work zone has already been designated for the inner loop of the Beltway while . The Wilkens Avenue work zone affects the Beltway from Westland Boulevard to the entrance ramp north of Wilkens.

A temporary traffic signal is being installed at Wilkens and Kenwood Avenue to facilitate turns from the Beltway exit ramps during the construction project.

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Work zones are marked with large signs and a "speed trailer" that displays the speed of passing vehicles in advance of an automated speed enforcement vehicle.Β 

The fine for exceeding the speed limit by 12 mph or more in a work zone is $40. The speed limit in the Frederick Road and Wilkens Avenue work zones is 55 mph.

David Buck, spokesperson for the State Highway Administration, said that speed camera vehicles are placed at the beginning of a work zone protected behind jersey barriers. They can photograph vehicles in any lane.

Buck said that the Wilkens Avenue and Frederick Road projects will be considered one work zone. A speed camera may be placed at the beginning of the Wilkens Avenue or Frederick Road work zones, but never both, he said.

The Frederick Road work zone incudes several others in the area, including the replacement of the Route 40 bridge over the Patapsco River and the replacement of the Beltway bridge over Liberty Road.

Traffic on Route 40 has been while a new span is built.

The Liberty Road work zone extends from the end of the I-795 Northwest Expressway entrance ramp to the end of the ramp from Liberty Road. Buck said that the speed limit is 50 mph in the Liberty Road work zone because lanes narrow from 12 to 11 feet and traffic shifts two lanes.

According to SHA, during the first 10 months of this year 181,728 citations were generated by the speed enforcement vehicle in the Liberty Road work zone.


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