Route 50 in Trappe to be reduced to single lane each way through March

U.S. Route 50 will temporarily be reduced to one lane in each direction in Trappe while crews make emergency pipe replacements, the Maryland Department of Transportation's State Highway Administration announced Friday.

The SHA says this pipe work is expected to last through late March and will affect the stretch of highway between Backtown Road and Timberwind Lane.

Preliminary work is set to begin next week as crews will pave the median crossovers and set up concrete barriers to separate opposing traffic. This process will take about two weeks, the SHA says.

Two-way traffic will run on one side of the highway while pipe replacement happens on the other. Halfway through the replacement process traffic will switch over the median.

SHA District 2 Engineer Greg Holsey says drivers should reduce speeds in advance of the median crossover and be alert for stopped traffic.

"The work area speed limit is 35 mph," Holsey said. "Local access will be maintained throughout construction."

Highway officials say an estimated 29,000 vehicles travel this stretch of Route 50 every day. The number significantly increases with summer beach traffic.