The Maryland State Highway Administration will finish a large repaving project along the 8400 block of Belair Road Wednesday, announced County Councilman David Marks Tuesday afternoon.

In an email, Marks said that questions from constituents had prompted him to personally speak with the SHA about when roadwork in front of St. Joseph Parish would end.

Members of the community, including Jeff Quinton of the Inside Charm City blog, had complained that roadwork was causing an inordinate amount of congestion along Belair Road and surrounding streets, especially during the busy holiday shopping season.

This stretch of Route 1 has been the center of traffic disruptions and construction projects since the fall:

• In September, Tropical Storm Nicole caused a large sinkhole to open up between Olde Forge Lane and Necker Avenue. That same month, under totally unrelated circumstances, graffiti vandals struck a retaining wall and nearby signs along the same block.
• In October, a vehicle smashed into a utility pole across from St. Joseph Parish, obliterating the lower half of the pole.
• In November, SHA workers shut down the road for much of a weekend while conducting invasive roadwork. The following weekend, about a third of a mile in the southwest direction on Dunfield Road, another even larger sinkhole opened up after a water main break.
• And recently, throughout December, drivers have encountered congestion as workers repaved the area.