New automated system to guide drivers across Bay Bridge starting next week
BALTIMORE -- Christmas will come early at the William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bay Bridge.
That's because the Maryland Transportation Authority is set to deliver the last phase of its lane improvement project, according to transit officials.
The gift of speedy transit across the bridge via the Automated Lane Closure System will arrive on Dec. 20, Maryland Transportation Authority officials announced on Tuesday.
That is when drivers using the westbound lanes on US 50/301 approaching the Bay Bridge from the Eastern Shore will get to use the new gates, transit officials said.
The project aims to accelerate the opening and closing of lanes on the bridge, according to transit officials.
The system guides motorists across the bridge with horizontal swing gates, illuminated pavement markers, full-color dynamic message signs and overhead lane-use control signals that guide motorists when lanes are opening or closing, transit officials said.
The system was designed to accommodate two-way traffic operations on the westbound span, according to transit officials.
The Automated Lane Closure System replaces a manual process with automation. Transit officials say they aim to improve safety for drivers by giving them time to move into the correct lanes, which reduces the potential for collisions.