The Highway Administration's CHART page offers a new traffic cam on the Dover bridge.

Dorchester Banner

ANNAPOLIS – As construction continues on the new MD 331 (Dover Bridge Road) Bridge over the Choptank River, the Maryland Department of Transportation’s State Highway Administration (SHA) has a new tool for local residents planning to travel the route.

SHA recently installed a temporary traffic camera on at the Dover Bridge in Talbot County. The camera will provide a 24/7 live stream of traffic conditions and can help commuters and emergency responders plan their routes during lane closures and flagging operations related to construction of the new Dover Bridge.

The camera, designated as “MD 331 West of Dover Bridge,” can be found on SHA’s Coordinated Highways Action Response Team (CHART) traffic cameras page that provides live traffic video to the public through more than 400 cameras statewide.

Operators at CHART headquarters in Hanover monitor and control the camera, which can be maneuvered to show MD 331 traffic conditions up to one mile north/west of the bridge. CHART also maintains a permanent camera at the US 50/MD 331 intersection in Easton. All of the CHART cameras use Adobe Flash® to stream video suitable for viewing on mobile devices.

“The new bridge is on schedule for completion in 2018,” said District 2 Engineer Greg Holsey. “The temporary camera will help Upper Shore residents make decisions about the best time to travel and avoid delays as construction continues.”

SHA is constructing the new fixed-span steel and concrete girder structure on a new alignment to replace an 85-year old steel swingspan (movable) bridge. Many of the construction phases require single lane closures and flagging operations that can cause delays for commuters leaving Easton. An average of 12,000 vehicles cross Dover Bridge each day.

While SHA and its transportation partners work hard to maintain safe traffic mobility in work zones, each driver needs to actively modify his or her driving style to help prevent crashes. Stay alert and look for reduced speed limits, narrow driving lanes and highway workers. Slow down and don’t follow too closely. Work Zone Safety is in Your Hands.

A listing of major roadway projects is included in e-Road Ready 2016, the online brochure. Maryland drivers can also know before they go by calling 511 or visiting www.md511.org for live traffic updates, including construction delays and lane closures.

See the CHART traffic cam at : http://www.chart.state.md.us/trafficcameras/index.php