Cracks in Highway Close Lanes of Route 50

Maryland State Police and the State Highway Administration (SHA) closed at least three lanes of eastbound U.S. Route 50 in Bowie around 4 p.m. due to cracks in the highway.

Three lanes and the left shoulder are closed due to the highway buckling under the heat, according to SHA spokesman David Buck. The right lane and shoulder still are open.

"Right now we only have minor traffic delays of about a mile, but that's because it's heading eastbound. If would be a different story if was on the westbound side with people coming back from Ocean City," he said.

Buck said there were some maintenance crews on the scene assessing the damage.

The next step is finding a contractor to remove the broken asphalt and lay new asphalt down, Buck said.

"I have no estimate on how long that could take," he said, adding that the lanes would remain closed until the asphalt was replaced.

Buck said he doesn't know if the right lane will have to be closed, but the SHA is keeping an eye on things.

"If we have to do a detour, drivers could just go on 197 and then head over to 301," he said. "From a detour standpoint it would be pretty simple. But we don't know if we'll have to do that."

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