Capital Beltway seemingly never-ending roadwork

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

On the Capital Beltway’s inner loop as you approach Route 4 (Pennsylvania Avenue), there are still signs for a truck detour that have been up since the Forestville Road bridge construction began.

The construction appears to have been completed months ago, yet the signs remain. Is there a second phase of the construction forthcoming? Is the new bridge not capable of handling trucks?

— Scott Fifield,

Greenbelt

The Forestville Road improvement project was essentially done in December, and the road was opened for traffic. But a few months earlier, the bridge was hit by a truck. A beam was damaged.

So the Maryland State Highway Administration decided to keep the truck detour in place on the bridge, even after the roadwork was completed, while it designed a long-term repair for the beam. State engineers say the bridge is safe to drive on, otherwise no traffic would be allowed, said David Buck, a spokesman for the highway administration.

The bridge engineers have now designed a permanent fix for the damaged beam, and work on that should start by midsummer.

This spring, Maryland is launching a new round of projects in the Beltway corridor and continuing others. The highway administration expects to complete the bridge deck replacement at Kenilworth Avenue this summer. A resurfacing project will get underway this spring between D’Arcy Road and Arena Drive. That should be done in the summer.

Around to the west, the rehabilitation project continues on the Northwest Branch Bridge. Kevin S. Nowak, the state’s assistant district engineer with responsibility for projects on Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, said commuters should pay attention to that one, even though there won’t be any lane closings at peak periods.

Later this year, the work zones that are now on the sides of both loops will move into the middle of them. There still will be four travel lanes on each loop at peak periods, but traffic will need to move around those work-zone islands.

Ticketing speeders?

Dear Dr. Gridlock:

I have lived in Columbia for almost 40 years and have commuted to my small business in Wheaton for the past 33 years. Needless to say, my 21-mile commute has seen many changes. While years ago abandoning any temptation to travel on interstates 95 and 495 on weekdays, I still use that route on weekends.

Whatever happened to speed-limit enforcement?

I am not a slow driver. I typically go 65 to 70 mph and prefer to travel in or next to the right lane. I am amazed at the number of vehicles hitting 80 or more, and rarely do I see a state trooper with one of these folks pulled over.

The trend continues on the Capital Beltway, where the speed limit drops from 65 to 55. Rarely do drivers adhere to that.

I often wonder, what with Maryland’s economic woes, why assessing financial penalties via speeding tickets shouldn’t be a substantial source of revenue for the state. Enforcement might also save a few lives.

— Bert Walker,

Columbia

While its obvious that the vast majority of speeders aren’t ticketed, Maryland State Police Lt. Col. Pete Landon said troopers are out enforcing laws against speeding and aggressive driving. He was particularly concerned last week about such bad behavior in work zones.

He noted that “traditional enforcement” — troopers pulling over drivers — can be difficult in such areas, and he put in a reminder about obeying the Move Over law, which requires drivers to move away from stopped emergency vehicles. But where humans may be vulnerable, Maryland can use speed cameras. There’s one on the Northwest Branch Bridge.

Dr. Gridlock also appears Thursday in Local Living. Comments and questions are welcome and may be used in a column, along with the writer’s name and home community. Write Dr. Gridlock at The Washington Post, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or e-mail drgridlock@­washpost.com.