“Vehicles heavier than pickups will not be allowed to cross the Route 90 Bridge into Ocean City after inspectors found deterioration in a girder requiring immediate attention. The bridge, one of two into the resort city, is considered safe for passenger vehicles under a 6,000-pound limit. Engineers are reviewing what repairs need to be made and how long they will take. Neil Pedersen, administrator of the State Highway Administration, said Maryland State Police are helping enforce a weight restriction for vehicles 6,000 pounds or heavier. The weight limit includes trailers and boats hauled by vehicles. Vehicles too heavy for the Route 90 Bridge will be directed to the U.S. 50 Bridge. The Route 90 Bridge, which crosses the Assawoman Bay, is 38 years old and runs abut 1.4 miles. It carries about 18,000 vehicles a day on average, with higher traffic volumes in the summer.

The weight restrictions on the Route 90 Bridge came on the same day The Baltimore Sun reported that Maryland Transportation Authority inspectors found “”advanced deterioration”” on two bridges across the Susquehanna River. Dennis Simpson, the authority’s capital planning director, told the newspaper that the Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 40 Bridges are safe, and the deterioration on the pier foundations poses no immediate danger. Repairs totaling $53-million have been ordered on the two spans.

“