The Road Scholar: Work Begins on Wilkens Avenue, Rolling Road

State Highway Administration officials announced new road projects that will slow traffic on Wilkens Avenue and South Rolling Road for the next two months.

Last week, crews began routine patching work on Wilkens Avenue from the I-695 beltway to South Rolling Road (MD 166).

Lanes on Wilkens will be closed during the work, with flagmen controlling the flow of traffic, according to the SHA.

The $116,000 patching project is expected to last until late September, according to officials.

SHA spokesperson Fran Ward said that crews will begin at the beltway and head west, repairing one lane at a time.

"They tend to work on one side of the road, then the other," she said.

Once the Wilkens Avenue work is done, crews will begin a $163,000 pavement patching project on South Rolling Road, from Bloomsbury Avenue to I-195, according to SHA.

Flagmen will direct traffic around the work zone, Ward said.

Both projects will be done between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday for the safety of work crews.

"Generally, we try to avoid flagging operations at night because of the danger," Ward said.

The projects involve filling potholes, cracks and other defects in the road, and do not involve milling and resurfacing.

"This is the time of year when we want to make sure patching is done before the winter months," Ward said.

SHA advises motorists to take extra time into account while traveling on Wilkens or Rolling Road during the work projects.

The South Rolling Road project is expected to be completed by mid-November, according to SHA.