I-895 (Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway)

[cpzilliacus]

Are there a significant number of people living in DC and commuting to Baltimore these days? There were quite a few people who lived in Baltimore and commuted to DC when I lived in DC (I considered doing it on many occasions).

Probably not as far north as the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. There's plenty of commuter traffic from the D.C. area to Fort Meade in Anne Arundel County and its many Department of Defense agencies (I believe that is the largest employment center in the state, given that Montgomery County voters keep electing people that want to discourage employment from locating in the county).

[abefroman329]

Ah yes, a friend commutes from DC to Ft. Meade.

[mrsman]

I'm surprised that they do not plan on restricting traffic from the tunnel from reaching I-95 and US 1 south of the tunnel to limit the traffic.  It seems to me that I-97 and MD-10  traffic really needs access to I-895 to avoid a very long detour, but that I-95 and US 1 traffic has ready access to the Ft McHenry Tunnel and do not need to add to the mess at the Harbor Tunnel.

IMO, one lane in the tunnel is a mess, but it won't be so bad if it is only serving the travelers coming from the southeast and not the southwest.

[TheOneKEA]

I'm surprised that they do not plan on restricting traffic from the tunnel from reaching I-95 and US 1 south of the tunnel to limit the traffic.  It seems to me that I-97 and MD-10  traffic really needs access to I-895 to avoid a very long detour, but that I-95 and US 1 traffic has ready access to the Ft McHenry Tunnel and do not need to add to the mess at the Harbor Tunnel.

IMO, one lane in the tunnel is a mess, but it won't be so bad if it is only serving the travelers coming from the southeast and not the southwest.

I wouldn't be surprised if the MDTA eventually does close the I-895 mainline west of Exit 4. The ongoing redecking of the Patapsco Flats bridge mean that traffic is already restricted to one lane west of the I-895 Spur, which would make it less difficult to close the mainline if necessary.

[froggie]

^ Also means you already have less traffic using 895 from 95 South...

[TheOneKEA]

I've been thinking about that hilariously non-compliant BGS for Exit 10 on the Canton Viaduct. Is it likely to be recycled or does the MDTA retain examples of old signage like MDOT SHA?

[cpzilliacus]

I've been thinking about that hilariously non-compliant BGS for Exit 10 on the Canton Viaduct. Is it likely to be recycled or does the MDTA retain examples of old signage like MDOT SHA?

That sign dates to the 1980's, but I believe it was an exact replacement of a sign that probably dates back to the opening of the road in 1957, when all of the signage on the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway looked like that.

I don't know if MDTA keeps any old and historic signs around.  I would love to see one of the big red signs (made from extruded aluminum or steel strips, long before SHA adopted that style of sign) that detailed the tunnel restrictions and was found at every entrance ramp to I-895.

[TheOneKEA]

The kerning on the temporary signage erected for the Canton Viaduct reconstruction is hilariously awful. I've never seen such horrible kerning before for any temporary sign erected by the MDTA. What gives?

[ixnay]

The kerning on the temporary signage erected for the Canton Viaduct reconstruction is hilariously awful. I've never seen such horrible kerning before for any temporary sign erected by the MDTA. What gives?

What's "kerning"?

ixnay

[davewiecking]

In short: spacing between proportional font letters, with adjustment being made for the actual letters involved so it looks "normal" -such as "AV" .

[NJRoadfan]

I drove thru the temporary work zone going south on Saturday  morning. The current setup isn't exactly awful (that side of the bridge at least has a shoulder), but it'll get annoying once the tunnel goes 2-way. Overall the HBT was pretty dead compared to I-95. Guess the signs telling traffic to go elsewhere are actually working.

[MASTERNC]

I drove thru the temporary work zone going south on Saturday  morning. The current setup isn't exactly awful (that side of the bridge at least has a shoulder), but it'll get annoying once the tunnel goes 2-way. Overall the HBT was pretty dead compared to I-95. Guess the signs telling traffic to go elsewhere are actually working.

Not all the time.  Saw signs north of Baltimore on Friday that said the travel time from White Marsh to the Harbor Tunnel was 33 minutes (12 miles).

[NJRoadfan]

I'd like to nominate the idiot with Wisconsin? (didn't get that good of a look) plates for the 2019 Darwin Awards.........who decided that despite the right lane of the northbound Harbor Tunnel clearly being marked as closed, decided to drive down it anyway and got a surprise on the other end in the form of a jersey wall. Not a single patrol car in sight to pull that idiot over either (despite the HRT's reputation for being heavily patrolled)

[TheOneKEA]

The closure of the I-895 northbound tunnel is imminent. I'm still curious to see if the I-895 mainline south of the harbor is closed west of I-695 to reduce the volume of traffic trying to cross the harbor using the remaining tunnel.

I've also observed considerable weekend backups at the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza since the partial closure of the Canton Viaduct. After this closure goes into effect I suspect that the backups will get much worse, especially since relatively few of the booths are actively manned on the weekends. My expectation is that traffic on the Key Bridge will rise significantly and that the SHA and MDTA will work together to advertise its availability for long-distance traffic on I-95.

[Alps]

The closure of the I-895 northbound tunnel is imminent. I'm still curious to see if the I-895 mainline south of the harbor is closed west of I-695 to reduce the volume of traffic trying to cross the harbor using the remaining tunnel.

I've also observed considerable weekend backups at the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza since the partial closure of the Canton Viaduct. After this closure goes into effect I suspect that the backups will get much worse, especially since relatively few of the booths are actively manned on the weekends. My expectation is that traffic on the Key Bridge will rise significantly and that the SHA and MDTA will work together to advertise its availability for long-distance traffic on I-95.

And the toll-free way(s) will probably still be just fine. (I enjoy 295/395 to 40)

[MASTERNC]

The closure of the I-895 northbound tunnel is imminent. I'm still curious to see if the I-895 mainline south of the harbor is closed west of I-695 to reduce the volume of traffic trying to cross the harbor using the remaining tunnel.

I've also observed considerable weekend backups at the Fort McHenry Tunnel toll plaza since the partial closure of the Canton Viaduct. After this closure goes into effect I suspect that the backups will get much worse, especially since relatively few of the booths are actively manned on the weekends. My expectation is that traffic on the Key Bridge will rise significantly and that the SHA and MDTA will work together to advertise its availability for long-distance traffic on I-95.

Or the west side of the Beltway.  Waze picked up the congestion you mentioned in the FMT so it directed me around the west side.  Compared to weekdays, there was no congestion at all and it was slightly faster than going through town (plus no toll).

[cpzilliacus]

Construction report from I-895 in Maryland:

1.  Patapsco Flats Bridge. 

All traffic using the new northbound span, much smoother than the old bridge which had very obvious expansion joints - the southbound span appears to be approaching completion.  Looks like the contractor is replacing the Jersey wall on the median north of the bridge.  This should be complete pretty soon.

2. Canton Viaduct and related. 

The prime, Tutor-Perini, started work after Thanksgiving 2018.
 
The northbound side of the viaduct and the ramp to Holabird Avenue are nearly entirely demolished, and the the contractor has started to pour the concrete for at least one pier. 

All traffic is using one lane each way on the old viaduct in what were the southbound lanes. 

Speed camera southbound approaching the work zone has been active of late.

In the tunnel, the northbound tunnel deck had about 3 or 4 inches hydro-demolished, and a new surface has been poured using latex-modified concrete. 

A lot of the stonework approaching the south portal on the northbound side was deteriorated, and is being repaired.

There will be full closures of the entire road when the structural steel is hung for the new northbound lanes.  The only way to get the steel delivered is to use the southbound lanes, so the entire crossing will be closed on at least a few weekends once the piers for the northbound side have been poured and allowed to cure.

[SteveG1988]

Just took it yesterday. The single laning in the tunnel is handled nicely. Instead of a forced merge at the exit of the tunnel going north it is done by the toll plaza.

[mrsman]

In the news recently, the toll plaza was closed because of fears of Legionnaire's disease.

https://wtop.com/baltimore/2019/07/2-workers-at-baltimore-harbor-tunnel-diagnosed-with-legionnaires-disease/

The tunnel was open, but the toll booths were closed.  Drivers had to use EZ-Pass or toll by plate, no cash.

[cpzilliacus]

In the news recently, the toll plaza was closed because of fears of Legionnaire's disease.

https://wtop.com/baltimore/2019/07/2-workers-at-baltimore-harbor-tunnel-diagnosed-with-legionnaires-disease/

The tunnel was open, but the toll booths were closed.  Drivers had to use EZ-Pass or toll by plate, no cash.

It is back to normal operation, with cash tolls accepted again.

[tolbs17]

I miss driving through that tunnel... (well my parents did) I had a fun time. And i have a question here: Does it act like a bypass of I-95 or just simply an extra highway? 

[cpzilliacus]

I miss driving through that tunnel... (well my parents did) I had a fun time. And i have a question here: Does it act like a bypass of I-95 or just simply an extra highway? 

Since it pre-dates the completion of I-95 through Baltimore by decades (BHT/I-895 open to traffic 1957; FMT/I-95 open to traffic 1985), it's could be said that I-95 is the extra highway and I-895 is the through tunnel.

But the maximum overhead height permitted through the tunnel on I-895 is significantly lower than I-95 at 13'6"), I-895 can be construed as the through route for cars and smaller trucks only, but not for trucks that are 
And then there's the matter of lane capacity. I-95 is at least 8 lanes wide from the Capital Beltway to well beyond Baltimore at MD-24 (Exit 77).   Nearly all of I-895 is two lanes each way.

[Alps]

I miss driving through that tunnel... (well my parents did) I had a fun time. And i have a question here: Does it act like a bypass of I-95 or just simply an extra highway? 

It does act as a bypass. Most traffic sticks on I-95, so I-895 is often faster despite being narrower. This goes away during the ongoing construction, so stick with I-95 or consider I-695.

[mrsman]

I miss driving through that tunnel... (well my parents did) I had a fun time. And i have a question here: Does it act like a bypass of I-95 or just simply an extra highway? 

It does act as a bypass. Most traffic sticks on I-95, so I-895 is often faster despite being narrower. This goes away during the ongoing construction, so stick with I-95 or consider I-695.

On all my travels in the area, 895 was  basically empty.  Don't be tempted to speed though as the road is usually patrolled heavily.

[famartin]

I miss driving through that tunnel... (well my parents did) I had a fun time. And i have a question here: Does it act like a bypass of I-95 or just simply an extra highway? 

It does act as a bypass. Most traffic sticks on I-95, so I-895 is often faster despite being narrower. This goes away during the ongoing construction, so stick with I-95 or consider I-695.

On all my travels in the area, 895 was  basically empty.  Don't be tempted to speed though as the road is usually patrolled heavily.

These days, for sure its empty.  They strongly encourage people not to use it due to the single-laning.  Whenever that's finished, volumes may return somewhat.  However, there remain times when it is GPS-suggested as an alternative to I-95 due to traffic, even with the single-laning. Not often, though.  Mileage-wise, I-895 is a half mile shorter than I-95.