Bel Air Bypass Shoulder Will Be Narrowed for Divider

Shoulders along the Bel Air Bypass will be more narrow when a $1.6 million project to install a  is completed.

State Highway Administration Community Liaison Frances Ward said more space is required for the barrier even though the road is being widened and resurfaced on some portions. Ward described the changes in an email:

"On the southbound side of the bypass, the shoulder will be four feet wide except near the Maryland Route 24 traffic signal/intersection where it transitions from four feet to 10 feet to meet the existing width at the intersection. On the northbound side, it will vary from four feet to 10 feet. Prior to this project, the shoulder width on both sides of the road varied from 5 1/2 to 10 feet, but for the most part within the project limits it was seven to eight feet."

The project is .