• The second phase of widening Interstate 81 in Washington County, Maryland, will be split into two parts to keep the project on schedule.
• Construction for Phase 2A is expected to begin in 2027, with Phase 2B starting in 2028, due to delays in negotiating stormwater management with CSX.
• The project will add a third lane in each direction, replace bridge structures, and install noise barriers and new traffic signs.
• Sen. Mike McKay urges drivers to pay attention to the road rather than their phones.

The next phase of widening Interstate 81 in Washington County, phase two, will be split into two phases to help keep the project on track, said Administrator William Pines with the Maryland State Highway Administration.

Phase 2A construction is anticipated to start in 2027, Pines said. That will involve widening I-81 to six lanes from Md. 63/Md. 68 (Lappans Road) to Interstate 70. Construction for Phase 2B, from I-70 to north of Halfway Boulevard, is expected to start in 2028. Work on both will overlap.

Pines said the decision this past summer to split phase two into two parts is due to stormwater management issues because talks with CSX haven’t gone well regarding getting right-of-way for stormwater ponds at the north end of Phase 2.

Rather than delay the entire project, state highway officials decided to break Phase 2 into two parts to keep the overall schedule on track and allow for more time to negotiate with CSX, he said.

Project officials are now looking at alternatives such as constructing underground storage tanks along the corridor to handle the additional volume of stormwater from widening I-81, Pines said. There also might be other places stormwater ponds could be built.

Widening I-81 not only creates more impervious space for stormwater runoff, but that runoff occurs faster with that volume, Pines said.

Pines provided an update on the I-81 widening project during an Oct. 9 meeting Maryland Department of Transportation officials had with local officials regarding state projects and transportation issues in Washington County. The meeting was held at the Washington County Public Safety Training Center south of Hagerstown.

The meeting was part of the transportation department’s fall tour to local jurisdictions to discuss the department’s draft $21.5 billion, six-year capital budget.

The department’s final FY 2026-2031 Consolidated Transportation Program, the capital budget, will come out in January.

State lawmakers will consider the plan as part of the state budget process, including formally approving fiscal year 2026-2027, and likely discussing longer term projects.

Pines said adding underground stormwater structures will add to the Phase 2 I-81 project cost.

The anticipated total estimated cost for Phase two has already gone up from $99 million, as of this past spring, to $107.8 million due to additional design expenses and a revised construction estimate, according to the state’s draft capital budget.

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What’s included in Phase 2 widening of I-81 in Western Maryland?

Phase 2 of the widening project adds one lane in each direction to create three northbound and three southbound lanes.

The project also includes creating two noise barriers, similar to the walls seen along Interstate 95.

One of the noise barriers is proposed along northbound I-81 near Tammany Manor, according to a project diagram on the state’s project website for Phase 2. Tammany Manor is south of the I-81/I-70 interchange.

The other proposed noise barrier is along southbound I-81 near Lakeside Village in Halfway.

The plan for Phase 2 also includes new overhead traffic signs, including dynamic messaging signs, which can provide real-time information. The stretch of I-81 in Washington County currently has one dynamic messaging sign in the area of Showalter Road.

Most of widening Phase 2’s almost 4 miles will occur by using the current median area, according to the project website.

The project also includes replacing bridge structures over the CSX railroad tracks north of Halfway Boulevard.

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What about widening the rest of I-81?

Local officials at the Oct. 9 meeting also asked about Phases 3 and 4, which would be needed to complete the widening of I-81 to the Pennsylvania state line.

While the draft capital plan has a project page for completing the last 7.2 miles of I-81 to the Pennsylvania state line, there is no future funding listed for those parts of the project through fiscal year 2031.

Washington County Commissioners Vice President Jeff Cline and State Sen. Paul Corderman, R-Washington/Frederick, talked about the need to improve I-81 for safety and for the local economy.