Cold doesn't freeze out progress on I-81

The Hagerstown Herald-Mail ^ | January 17, 2018 | Mike Lewis

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. — The widening of Interstate 81 from West Virginia into Maryland remains on track to be finished in 2020.

"Work is still continuing in the cold," Stephen Bucy said Wednesday.

Bucy, an engineer with the Maryland Department of Transportation, reported on the project and other Interstate 81 work Wednesday afternoon during a meeting of the Hagerstown/Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization's Interstate Council in Martinsburg.

The current I-81 work is widening the highway from two to three lanes in each direction from about U.S. 11 (Exit 23) in West Virginia across the Potomac River to Md. 63/68 (Exit 1) in Williamsport.

The project total cost is $102.6 million, with $38 million being reimbursed from West Virginia for work on the south end, according to a previous Herald-Mail Media story.

Triton Construction Inc. is the main contractor on the project, and Bucy said workers have been able to stay at their tasks despite the weather.

On Wednesday, crews were working at both ends of the project.

At the Potomac River, workers are pouring footers and erecting pylons to support the new lanes, which will be built in the space between the current bridges. Crews are working from a temporary bridge at the water level.

The temporary bridge can be removed when the river level rises too high to work, Bucy said. Monitors in Hancock and other locations warn the crews of high water.

So far, he said, workers have had to remove and reinstall the work platform about seven times.

"I think they said they can have it pulled in about four hours," he said.

As footers are poured and the pylons go up, the platform is shortened.

"They've worked their way across the river, footer by footer," he said.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland “Freak State” PING!

[spokeshave]

"Work is still continuing in the cold," ......The temporary bridge can be removed when the river level rises too high to work.....So far, workers have had to remove and reinstall the work platform about seven times.....They've worked their way across the river, footer by footer

Sounds like some tough American workers building out an infrastructure abandoned by previous administrations.

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Maryland could have word on federal grant for I-81 by spring (1/30)