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Weekend rains wash out MD 198 out near Fort Meade

Posted at 5:12 PM, Jun 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-05 06:42:21-04

For the third weekend in a row heavy rains caused destruction across the state.

Maryland's latest casualty is right outside Fort Meade along route 198, seen here up close, the road is a complete wash out.

"I mean it's not just the top part, the asphalt the base layer and everything, it's down to the soils so it is just a break all the way through there," said State Highway Administration Spokesperson Charlie Gischler.

Work started in earnest Monday.

State Highway closed 198 between the Baltimore Washington Parkway and Route 32, a road up to nearly 30 thousand vehicles use a day.

That traffic is now detoured around to 32 as the Little Patuxent wasn't so little this weekend, a raging river that brought tons of debris downstream eventually causing this breach.

Crews spent Monday working to undam the area at times pulling out entire trees wedged against the bridge.

It is a process SHA says could take a while before they begin to repair the actual road.

"My first inclination when I was researching this with our engineers is like why don’t we just get a crane in there and get it all out. Then he was like, well then you let all that water out and you can do more damage so you got to do it slowly, meticulously."

And with that, truck load after truck load of debris was removed.

SHA says the actual bridge itself has no structural damage and because of that, repairs should speed up.

Crews say the road could be back open within a week.