MDOT SHA Begins Md 261 (Bay Avenue) Reconstruction Project In North Beach

(September?10, 2020)?– The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA)?will begin work today on?a?$6.3?million?reconstruction?of?MD 261 (Bay Avenue) that will reduce flooding?to the roadway?in the Town of North Beach.?? 

Preliminary work is underway,?with?crews improving the roadway between?8^th?Street in Calvert County and Beach Avenue in Anne Arundel County.?The project, which?includes a temporary traffic detour starting?tomorrow,?is expected to be complete by?summer?2021.??? 

“We look forward to the completion of this project, which will improve walkability and access to North Beach,” said MDOT SHA Administrator Tim Smith. “We appreciate the patience of the community as the work begins.”? 

MD 261 is a two-lane roadway that serves as a gateway to the Town of North Beach. MDOT SHA?contractor,?Rustler Construction of Upper Marlboro, MD., will?be performing the work that is designed to reduce current and future flooding.?The project includes:? 

• A new, wider bridge elevated approximately two feet higher than the current roadway? 
• Replacement of culverts?and inlets? 
• New sidewalks between 8^th?and 9^th?streets that are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act?(ADA)? 

Crews are establishing ADA-compliant makings at designated locations, installing temporary signs, and conducting utility relocations along MD 261 north of 8th?Street.

Crews will close MD 261 north of 9th?Street so they can construct?the?bridge abutments and wing walls. The detour?will?last?about?20 weeks and will direct motorists?to MD 261 (Bay Avenue/Walnut Avenue/Friendship Road), MD 2 (Solomons Island Road), and MD 260 (Chesapeake Beach Road).?

Additional project details are available here.??  

MDOT SHA coordinated with local emergency responders of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department and the North Beach Fire Department to ensure available response for area residents. Emergency response will be stationed at a designated location to be available to respond.?? 

Customers who have questions about the MD 261 Roadway Reconstruction Project may contact the MDOT SHA District 5 Office at 410-841-1000 or toll-free at 1-800-331-5603.? 

For a list of all major MDOT SHA projects, visit our homepage at roads.maryland.gov and go to Project Portal. For a look at real-time traffic conditions, go to md511.maryland.gov.?