Closures will be in place through August of 2021.

If you’re planning to travel on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in the near future, be prepared for delays due to a long-term construction project. The William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge deck rehabilitation project began on September 24 and will re-route two-way traffic on the bridge. Funded by toll proceeds, the $27 million project will take two years to complete and will include the replacement of the bridge deck surface, signal gantries, and rail posts, as well as other repairs.

Beginning on September 24, 2019, two-way traffic on the westbound side of Bay Bridge will end, pushing all two-way traffic to the smaller eastbound lanes. The entire three lanes of the westbound span will be completely closed every night from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. After September 30, one entire lane of the westbound span will be closed through April of 2020 or longer with the exception of Thanksgiving weekend. The third westbound lane will be reopened on Labor Day weekend of 2020 and will remain open to accommodate summer beach travel. The entire project is not expected to be completed until August of 2021.

Motorists are encouraged to plan ahead and avoid using the bridge during peak travel times if possible. As always, MDTA advises drivers to check traffic conditions on the bridge by calling (877) 229-7726 or visiting bay bridge.com.

Public open houses for the Chesapeake Bay Crossing study also begin this week and run through October 9. The public can get more information and ask questions about the three options for building an additional bridge across the Chesapeake Bay. For more details about the open houses and the bridge study, go to baycrossingstudy.com.

What is your strategy for battling traffic on the Bay Bridge? We'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!