A hole punched through a bridge deck on a highway near Howard County, Maryland, causing severe traffic congestion on nearby roads throughout the day.
According to the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), a large hole (deck puncture) was discovered on the bridge deck of southbound I-95 over Stansfield Road in the Laurel area around 9:00 a.m. on the 2nd. State authorities immediately closed one lane for safety and subsequently shut down three of the four lanes to carry out extensive concrete repair work.
As a result, traffic backed up for up to 12 miles during daytime hours, including the evening commute, causing major disruptions for motorists. The bridge where the incident occurred is located just before the Prince George's County line, further compounding the delays along this major thoroughfare.
Charlie Gischlar, deputy spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Administration, explained, "This incident is similar to a typical pothole, but unlike standard roads supported by the ground underneath, a bridge deck lacks insulation or supporting foundation below, which exposes the embedded rebar. Consequently, this required more extensive concrete pouring and precise restoration work."
Emergency repairs continued into the evening, and once the patching work was completed, authorities began reopening the closed lanes sequentially around 7:40 p.m.