Road Closure

A downed Comcast service line closed Interstate 81 near the Holiday Inn in Martinsburg for more than an hour and Friday afternoon, causing substantial congestion along the highway, U.S. 11 and connecting routes, Berkeley County Sheriff Kenneth Lemaster Jr. said. The highway was reopened about 3:30 p.m., after the downed line was reported just after 2 p.m.,  according to Lemaster, who expected traffic conditions would remain congested until about 5 p.m. Supports for the downed utility line apparently failed due to windy conditions, but the wire did not break, Lemaster said.

Dual Highway from Colonial Drive to Eastern Boulevard is again open to traffic after a downed high-voltage power line closed the roadway for about four hours, dispatchers said. Traffic lights were still out on that portion of the road as of midnight, causing traffic congestion, dispatchers said. A portion of Eastern Boulevard remained closed at midnight as crews continued work there, but work there was completed overnight, dispatchers said. The power line fell in the area of Eastern Boulevard south of Dual Highway, dispatchers said.

The Washington County Division of Public Works' Engineering and Construction Department will host a community information meeting to discuss the rehabilitation of the Old Forge Road bridge over Antietam Creek. The meeting will be Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Old Forge Elementary School at 21615 Old Forge Road in Hagerstown. The purpose of the meeting is to present the need for the project, discuss the bridge rehabilitation process, explain the proposed road closure and temporary detour that will be required, and to answer questions, according to a county news release.

Black Rock Road at the Interstate 70 underpass will be closed for about 100 days on or around Sept. 15, a contractor rebuilding the interstate bridge said Friday. The road will be closed so Ahern and Associates Inc., which has been contracted by the Maryland State Highway Administration to replace the bridge, can lower Black Rock Road beneath the bridge, said John Rose, eastern district manager for Ahern and Associates Inc. Rose said the road must be excavated to fix "clearance issues.

Washington County and the City of Hagerstown have provided the following information about road work. Weather permitting, beginning at 7 a.m. Thursday, work crews from Slurry Pavers Inc. will be installing a slurry seal surfacing treatment on portions of the following streets: o East Washington Street (U.S. 40 to Richmond Street) o Beechwood Drive (Glenwood Avenue to Fairview Road) o Brinker Drive (East Wilson Boulevard south to the dead end) One lane of each street at a time will be closed while the slurry seal is being applied.

Black Rock Road at the Interstate 70 underpass will be closed for about 100 days on or around Sept. 15, a contractor rebuilding the interstate bridge said Friday. The road will be closed so Ahern and Associates Inc., which has been contracted by the Maryland State Highway Administration to replace the bridge, can lower Black Rock Road beneath the bridge, said John Rose, eastern district manager for Ahern and Associates Inc. Rose said the road must be excavated to fix "clearance issues.

The Washington County Division of Public Works, Capital Projects Engineering Department, said Friday the first in a series of three stream culvert replacement projects on Crystal Falls Drive is scheduled to be completed on or about Tuesday, allowing for the reopening of Crystal Falls Drive near the intersection with Jugtown Road. Also Tuesday, the contractor will begin work to replace the second stream crossing on Crystal Falls Drive immediately north of the intersection with Pondsville Road.

The current culvert replacement project on Crystal Falls Drive near Pondsville Road will be completed on or about Monday and the final in a series of three stream culvert replacement projects is set to begin, the Washington County Division of Public Works Capital Projects Engineering Department said Wednesday. Work to replace the third and final stream crossing -- approximately two-tenths of a mile north of the intersection of Crystal Falls Drive and Pondsville Road -- is scheduled to begin, and the road will close to through traffic at that location, on or about Dec. 3. The road closure, required for replacement of a stream culvert pipe crossing under Crystal Falls Drive, will last about 45 days.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced Tuesday one road closure and the delay of a bridge closure. South Mountain Road will close near the South Mountain U.S. Post Office in Quincy Township, Pa., for a project to replace a drainage pipe with a box culvert starting July 18, according to a news release. Motorists will encounter a detour using Coral Ridge and Loop roads for the rest of July. Also, a closure associated with a Pa. 316 bridge rehabilitation project in Guilford Township, Pa., has been delayed again.

THURMONT, Md. - Northbound U.S. 15 in the area of Md. 550 at Thurmont is closed due to a hazardous materials spill, the Maryland State Police Frederick barrack reported at 10:50 a.m. A pickup truck hauling pesticides lost a 20-pound bag of pesticide which ruptured upon contact with the asphalt, police said. Frederick County Hazmat units responded to the scene for cleanup. The State Highway Administration is detouring traffic onto Md. 77. The road closure is the second one this morning in Frederick County.