Aug 30, 2008 1:39 pm US/Eastern
Traffic Moving On Eastbound Bay Bridge
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (WJZ/AP) ―
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As predicted, those critical repairs along the Bay Bridge have created major problems for drivers.
WJZ
Traffic is moving again on the eastbound portion of the Bay Bridge after miles of traffic Friday evening.
Jessica Kartalija reports drivers heading east over the Bay Bridge ran into some backed up traffic Friday.
The Maryland Transportation Authority's operations center reported about a three-mile backup for eastbound traffic Friday afternoon. No backups were reported westbound. Tolls were temporarily lifted at the toll plaza to keep traffic moving.
Toll booths stopped collecting money from drivers at 4 p.m. when eastbound traffic backups stretched for about 2.6 miles.
At about 5:15 p.m. delays started about 1 mile from the toll plaza.
Cheryl Sparks, a spokeswoman for the Maryland Transportation Authority, says tolls went back into effect at 6 p.m., because there were no delays before the toll plaza.
No backups were reported westbound.
On Thursday, rain mixed with repair work forced the Maryland Transportation Authority to shut down more lanes on the bridge. It caused a major backup Thursday night with car after car coming to a slow crawl. Traffic was backed up for more than four miles.
The right lane of the eastbound span is closed while workers fix the barriers. A tractor trailer went through the wall and into the water earlier this month. The accident exposed a problem with corroding in the jersey walls.
Meanwhile, Maryland Senator E.J. Pipken is asking for an independent safety examination of the Bay Bridge.
The repair work is expected to take 10 weeks.
The Maryland Transportation Authority advised holiday weekend travelers heading to the Eastern Shore to consider using an alternate route through northeastern Maryland.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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