Silver Spring Intersection To Be Widened

Avoid the busy intersection at University Boulevard and Piney Branch Road this weekend, while the Maryland State Highway Administration starts a project to widen it.

Starting at 9 a.m. Friday, the Maryland State Highway Administration will close the right lane along eastbound University between Glenville Road and Gilbert Road. It also will close the right lane along southbound Piney Branch Road between Carroll Avenue and Unversity. The closures will continue till 3 p.m. Saturday, if all goes on schedule.

Flower Avenue and Carroll Avenue are among the alternative routes around the congestion that's likely to result this weekend.

These are the preliminaries: utility relocation and removal of the concrete island. The widening project is scheduled for completion by late summer.

Piney Branch in the University Boulevard area is a very dangerous place for pedestrians. There are more crashes there than along other stretches of roadway in Montgomery County, something the county government is focusing on. So please be extra careful this weekend while the work is underway.