NOAA Crane to Close Lanes on East-West Highway This Weekend

Oh the joys of spring in Silver Spring: blooming cherry blossoms, outdoor seating at restaurants and the installation of a federal agency's cooling unit that will block vehicle traffic over the weekend. 

According to the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA), all but one lane on East-West Highway will close sometime this weekend, so that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) can install a rooftop air conditioning unit. A large crane, as wide as three lanes, will be moved into place beginning at 11 p.m. tonight, April 5. It will take "several hours" to position the crane, SHA said, and then traffic will blocked. 

Traffic on East-West Highway will be reduced to one lane in each direction for most of the weekend, the highway administration said. The installation should be complete sometime on Sunday. 

For southbound drivers on Colesville Road wanting to go east on East-West, SHA recommends turning left onto Georgia Avenue instead. If you're heading north on Colesville and want to go east on East-West Highway, consider turning right onto Wayne Avenue then making another right onto Georgia Avenue.