Drivers heading out inbound along the Howard Frankland Bridge and Northbound along I-275 should once again expect slower than normal drives times all this week thanks to construction.  Last week, we saw traffic just inching along from approximately 7 a.m. through most of the day, Monday through Friday.

Why the extra congestion?  It’s all due to the ongoing construction project along I-275 NB.  The right auxiliary lane of northbound I-275 will be closed from east of the Howard Avenue entrance ramp to west of the Ashley Drive/Scott Street exit, causing the bottleneck effect.  Once traffic gets snarled during the morning rush, it has been very hard to alleviate the delays even during non-peak hours. 

According to a spokesperson from FDOT, the three through-lanes from Himes Avenue to Ashley Drive will remain open during peak travel times, closing only when needed during periodic overnight construction.  They also recommend drivers stay in the same lane (of one of the three through-lanes) through the construction zone to help improve traffic flow. 

The I-275 reconstruction project will be ongoing through the Spring of 2010.  For more information on this work, vist http://www.tbinterstates.com/projects/projectinfo.asp?projectID=158&RoadID=1.