Construction has gotten under way northeast of Baltimore to make water line and highway improvements at the intersection of Maryland Highway 147 (Harford Road) and Joppa Road, according to the state's Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA).

The agency said the project will improve traffic operations and safety at the intersection, located in the community of Carney, and includes replacement of Baltimore County water lines underneath the intersection.

The MD 147/Joppa Road intersection operates at over capacity during peak hour travel times, which leads to disruptions in nearby roadway networks.

The upcoming improvements will widen and reconstruct the intersection as follows:

• Adding a third thru lane along southbound MD 147 and a third thru lane along westbound Joppa Road for approximately 700 ft. in each direction from the intersection,
• Upgrading traffic signals at the MD 147/Joppa Road and Joppa Road/Avondale Road intersections,
• Making improvements to ADA-compliant sidewalks, sidewalks ramps and driveway entrance aprons within the project limits,
• Adding "Share the Road" signs as well as providing minimum shoulder widths (up to 5 ft.) along MD 147 in both directions to accommodate bicyclists.

The MDOT SHA noted the project includes grinding and resurfacing the roadway and reconstructing right-turn channeling islands, as well as improving drainage structures, reflective pavement markings, traffic signs and landscaping.

The Baltimore County Department of Public Works is providing funding to MDOT SHA to replace the waterline underneath the roadway within the intersection project limits and upgrades to the traffic signal system at the intersection.

The enterprise will be completed in four phases and will require a series of lane and shoulder closures. No detours are proposed, however.

• Phase 1 will encompass the Baltimore County waterline replacement work,
• The construction of storm drains, curb and gutter, sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps, driveways and full depth pavement reconstruction is set to be done in Phase 2,
• The third phase will be the installation of the concrete median and storm drain,
• Phase 4 is the milling of existing roadway pavement, construction of the final pavement course and the installation of permanent pavement markings.

During all phases, sidewalks will be maintained in such a manner that one side of the roadway will always remain open to pedestrian traffic while the other side is under construction.

Due to the high volume of traffic at the intersection, the permitted working hours for construction are limited to off-peak travel times and include both daytime and nighttime operations.

The design phase of the project was completed last spring. Following that, the job was advertised for bidders in June, and bids were opened in September. MDOT SHA awarded the contract to Rustler Construction Inc. of Upper Marlboro, Md.

Pre-construction work to relocate utility lines in the intersection area was completed over the summer.

If weather and other construction factors permit, MDOT SHA said the improvement project will be completed in the fall of 2022.

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