The line painting and paving at the Muddy Creek Road intersection has all been delayed until spring when crews can work at non-peak travel hours and in better weather.

Last week’s update on the Muddy Creek Road intersection seemed to produce more questions than answers. Anne Arundel Department of Public Works spokesman Matt Diehl said the line painting wouldn’t be complete for a few more months.

Readers questioned if the paving was going to be finished soon, to which Diehl said "no."

“The short answer is no,” Diehl said. “The final paving, milling and restriping to complete Phase I of this project had to be deferred to the spring.”

Diehl said work that needs to be done can’t be done during the day because it would cause traffic problems. And the current weather conditions during the evening aren’t conducive to construction work.

“The State Highway Administration work permit, in an attempt to minimize traffic delays during the day, does not allow the needed lane closures for these activities during daytime hours,” he said. “Currently, the overnight temperatures are not consistently warm enough to complete.”

The Department of Public Works has tried to get a daytime work exception from the SHA but has not been successful. Readers have said that the temporary barrels on the road now cause their own traffic delays.

“We are attempting to find a contractor to complete the restriping during the colder night time conditions,” Diehl said. “Once the restriping is complete, the westbound barriers can be removed.”

A new traffic light has also been installed at the intersection, but has yet to be turned on. That is something Diehl said the Department of Public Works is still working out.  

“Department of Public Works is currently working with BGE to switch on the power to the new pole,” Diehl said. “I am trying to get a more specific time frame. However, working with any utility can be time consuming based on their workload demands statewide. “