Contact: Esther Bowring, 240-777-6530
Keith Compton, 240-777-7210
For Immediate Release: August 2, 2001

Norwood Road To Close For Construction August 15;
Road Will Reopen July 2002

Due to construction, Norwood Road, between Ednor Road and New Hampshire Avenue, will be temporarily closed to through traffic for eleven months beginning Wednesday, August 15. The construction is part of the Norbeck Road extension project that will connect Norbeck to New Hampshire Avenue and Route 198. Local traffic and essential services, such as Fire and Rescue, Police, mail delivery, and solid waste pickups, will continue to have access to properties within the closed area at all times. Access to the James H. Blake High School will be maintained using New Hampshire Avenue.

Through traffic will be detoured along Ednor Road and New Hampshire Avenue. To improve the detour route, Ednor Road has been repaved, lane markings repainted, signs improved, and new street lights have been installed. To improve traffic capacity along the detour route, the intersections of Ednor with Norwood Roads and New Hampshire Avenue will be completed by the Maryland State Highway Administration prior to the Norwood Road closure.

Construction of the $27 million Norbeck extension is on schedule and should be completed by November 2002. When finished, Norbeck will be a four-lane divided road between Layhill Road and Norwood Road, and a two-lane roadway between Norwood Road and New Hampshire Avenue. Additional turning lanes will be provided at the Layhill Road, Norwood Road, and New Hampshire Avenue intersections.

During the closure of Norwood Road, a new intersection at Norbeck and Norwood Roads will be constructed and elevated 18 feet and Norwood Road will be rebuilt on either side of the new intersection. This bridge over the Northwest Branch will have several environmental benefits by preventing roadway flooding, providing clearance under the bridge for a future equestrian trail, and providing a 40-foot wide wildlife migration path along the Northwest Branch.

For more information about the construction activities, call Bill Jenkins at 301-622-6690 or Jeff Knutsen at 240-777-7295. For information about traffic control, call Pat Bradley or Scott Crumley at 240-777-2190.