MD 70 (Rowe Boulevard) Improvement Project

Client: Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA)

Location: Annapolis, MD

Services: Structural design, highway design, traffic engineering, landscape architecture, water resources, cultural resources, public utilities, public involvement

Under direction of the Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA), KCI Technologies is leading the design team on a $32 million project to improve travel along MD 70, Rowe Boulevard, leading into historic Annapolis, MD. The primary gateway to the State’s capital carries nearly 70,000 vehicles per day over two bridges built nearly 50 years ago and requiring major upgrades.

Weems Creek Bridge—SHA is replacing the 67-foot-wide Weems Creek Bridge with a new structure that will be nine feet wider and more compatible with the existing roadway median. As a result of input from the Community Advisory Committee (CAC), the design also includes new aesthetic treatments, complementing the vista approaching the Capital, and the addition of a sidewalk on the East side, wider shoulders to accommodate bicycles, and a wider median that matches the bridge approaches and offers the opportunity to add a fifth lane, if required, in the future. The plans also call for reducing the width of existing traffic lanes by one foot in order to encourage slower traffic speeds. During construction, all existing traffic lanes will be maintained during peak travel hours; during off-peak hours (9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), lane closures may be necessary for certain construction activities, such as placing steel bridge girders.

College Creek Bridge—The existing 70-foot-wide bridge over College Creek will be redecked and widened by five feet. As part of the rehabilitation, crews will replace the existing concrete bridge deck, steel girders, and concrete pier caps; widen the sidewalk from five to seven feet on both sides of the roadway; and add wider shoulders to accommodate bicycles. The existing traffic lane widths will be reduced by one foot as a way to slow down traffic speeds, and landscaping and aesthetic treatments will be added to enhance the landscape and scenery.

During construction for the College Creek bridge, three lanes of traffic will be maintained at all times, using a reversible lane traffic pattern: two lanes in the peak direction, one in non-peak direction. The middle lane will be controlled using an overhead lane control system similar to what is used on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge along US 50. During off peak hours (9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), additional lane closures may be necessary for certain construction activities, such as placing steel bridge girders.

Environmental Impacts—Any large construction project poses some unavoidable impacts to the environment. To minimize these impacts, SHA has stationed a full-time environmental monitor on site to ensure that any issues will be immediately resolved. An environmental CAC, comprised of local volunteers, worked with SHA and KCI during the design phase to address and minimize impacts and to find ways to improve existing conditions. Enhancements to the project include:

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