York Road Surfacing

From time to time my office receives inquiries regarding the York Road State and County joint project involving the replacement of the sewer line under York Rd and its eventual resurfacing. Below is a message I received from the Maryland State Highway administration updating me on the project’s status. Like all of you, I very much look forward to the project’s completion.
-Wade
The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) has a combination project underway to replace the Baltimore County water main and repair and resurface the roadway on York Road from south of Padonia Road to Wight Avenue. The existing 12-inch water main was installed in 1932, regularly experiences breaks that result in roadway closures and damage, and must now be replaced. This project is being done under a financial agreement with Baltimore County’s Department of Public Works to fund the water main replacement and MDOT SHA is funding the roadway improvements. This combined project model is being used to manage the complexity of the water main replacement under the lanes of a busy roadway while cost effectively partnering the responsibilities of both agencies.
As of this month, MDOT SHA’s contractor, Civil Construction, has completed the installation of the 24″ water main along York Road from Roosevelt Street to Scott Adam Road along with all the new service line and fire hydrant replacements. The remaining section of 24” water main, from Scott Adam to Wight Avenue, has been installed and the contractor is in the process of installing the water service lines crossing York Road in this section. The contractor also needs to connect the new 24″ water main with the existing 12″ water main at Recycle Road and the Beaver Run Lane intersections. Additionally, the contractor will be replacing all existing fire hydrants.
To install the new water main, the contractor must excavate long and deep trenches in York Road each night. Additionally, more than 250 York Road crossing trench excavations are required to replace the existing aging water service lines to businesses and residents. The large amount of deep trench excavation work that is required to install the water main, service lines, fire hydrants, and repair the leaks and breaks of the existing old line, may seem to be senseless and unending roadwork because the slow and complex work is mostly below grade and out of the view of area motorists. However, this project is necessary to maintain the existing Baltimore County water line infrastructure and good roadway conditions along MD 45 (York Road).
MDOT SHA, Baltimore County, and Civil Construction are working to ensure the timely completion of the installation of water line and we would like to note that the contractor has been completing the work ahead of schedule. Currently, the contractor is in the process of installing the final asphalt paving from Roosevelt Street to Scott Adam Road. The second segment between Scott Adam Road and Wight Avenue is scheduled to be completed in late summer 2021 and the entire project is scheduled for completion early fall 2021.
Thank you again for your email. Please feel free to contact me or Mr. Abraham Kidane, Assistant District Engineer for Construction, if you have any questions. Mr. Kidane can be reached at 410-229-2421 or by email at akidane@mdot.maryland.gov.
Sincerely,
Wendy Wolcott, P.L.A.
Metropolitan District Engineer
MDOT State Highway Administration
District 4 – Baltimore and Harford Counties
320 West Warren Road
Hunt Valley MD 21030
410-229-2310; 1-866-998-0367
wwolcott@mdot.maryland.gov