Work started Tuesday morning to shore up the concrete barrier wall on the eastbound lane of the Bay Bridge where a tractor-trailer broke through the span, state transportation officials said.
“We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution,” John Porcari, chairman of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said at a news conference Tuesday.
State officials have been inspecting the bridge and looking for ways to improve the integrity of the span since the Aug. 10 crash that killed tractor-trailer driver John Robert Short, 57, of Willards, and stranded thousands of motorists for hours.
The steel reinforcements and elements inside the concrete barriers, which were constructed in 1986, had corroded, said Geoffrey Kolberg, chief engineer for the Maryland Transportation Authority.
The corrosion wasn’t found in regular visual inspections, and crews have been using ultrasonic and penetrating radar systems to test the barriers, Kolberg said.
The repairs, which include anchor plates and bolting steel plates to the concrete barriers, are not permanent, but will address the immediate need to strengthen this part of the wall, officials said.
“We’re confident we are starting at the right place first,” Kolberg said.
Crews have inspected about 20 percent of the bridge. They will continue to inspect the bridge and quickly add other improvements if necessary, Porcari said.
“I look at this as the beginning, not the end,” he said.
Officials are considering higher barrier walls on the bridge, but that option has to be evaluated as part of a long-term plan, Kolberg said.
The repairs are estimated to cost about $3 million, Kolberg said.
The work could take about two to three weeks to complete, during which the right lane of the eastbound span of the bridge will be closed to traffic.
Two-way traffic will operate on the westbound span during peak times to allow for two eastbound lanes, officials said.
Porcari warned motorists of delays and encouraged drivers to call 877-BAYSPAN or visit baybridge.com for traffic conditions.
Maryland Transportation Authority Police Chief Marcus Brown said they are still awaiting the toxicology report on Candy Lynn Baldwin, 19, the driver of a Chevrolet Camaro that crossed the center line and sideswiped Short’s tractor-trailer.
In the meantime, police have added officers on the bridge focusing on speed enforcement, he said.
“We’re going to have a great deal more enforcement and presence there,” he said.
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