Westbound Conway Street to Close; New Traffic Pattern

The Baltimore City Department of Transportation would like to advise motorists that a portion of westbound Conway Street will temporarily close as work on the downtown infrastructure improvement project progresses. In addition, eastbound traffic along a section of Lee Street will be temporarily restricted for construction activities.

Starting on or about Monday, November 08, 2010 westbound Conway Street will be temporarily closed to through traffic from Light to Charles Streets with detours in effect. Detour signs will be posted in the area but motorists are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes. Recommended alternates include Lombard Street to Howard Street back to Conway in order to bypass the construction zone or Sharp Street to Conway. This portion of westbound Conway Street is expected to remain closed for approximately two weeks.

In addition, a one-way traffic pattern will be temporarily installed along a portion of Lee Street for construction work. On or about Monday, November 08, 2010, Lee Street will be closed to eastbound traffic from Russell Street to the Martin Luther King, Jr, Boulevard off-ramp with detours in effect. Motorists will not be able to access all of the stadium lots via Russell Street; access to only Lot A will be available during this closure. Russell Street commuters trying to reach the warehouse and stadium lots should use Camden Street to Howard Street. This one-way traffic pattern will remain in effect for approximately two weeks.

Motorists should be reminded that lane closures remain in effect along Pratt Street between Greene and Calvert Streets. Additionally, daily lane closures continue to be implemented along Lee Street from Russell Street to the off-ramp from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. Lane closures are also implemented along southbound Light Street between Pratt Street and Key Highway at this time.

Commuters traveling in these areas should expect delays and are strongly encouraged to use alternate routes. Citizens coming into the downtown area should consider using I-395 to Howard Street as an alternate route to bypass the construction zones. Motorists driving from the west to the east should use Mulberry Street or Baltimore Street as alternatives to Pratt Street. Parking will be restricted along Baltimore Street from Paca to South Streets so that additional lanes of travel will be open for overflow traffic. Parking will also be restricted along Light Street between Baltimore and Lombard Streets.

Variable messaging signs will be placed at strategic locations to alert motorists of the construction. The Department of Transportation’s Special Traffic Enforcement Officers (STEO’s) will assist with the movement of traffic in the downtown area. Motorists can greatly assist with traffic flow by not blocking intersections with their vehicles. “Blocking the Box” not only disrupts the flow of traffic, but is a violation of the law and can result in a $70 fine along with one driver’s license point.

The Downtown Infrastructure Improvement Project is an extension of the Department of Transportation’s Operation Orange Cone program. Operation Orange Cone is a city wide effort engineered by the Department of Transportation to improve roadways and infrastructure throughout the city.

The City of Baltimore will be hosting the Grand Prix in 2011. Downtown streets affected by the event which are in need of repair will be improved by the City. The City will also be completing other necessary public infrastructure projects at the same time for efficiency purposes. Improvements will be made along Pratt, Light, Conway, Howard, Lee and Russell Streets and construction work is expected to last for approximately nine months.

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