New Wisconsin Avenue traffic signals fully-operational in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

The new traffic signals at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) and Middleton Lane are now fully-operational, the culmination of a years-long advocacy effort by residents in East Bethesda. Pedestrian button controls have been uncovered, and are functioning. The new signals were installed by the Maryland State Highway Administration with the primary goal of making it safer for pedestrians to cross in this area. Pedestrians attempting to cross MD 355 can activate a red signal for Wisconsin; the lights otherwise function like any standard traffic signal, with a green, yellow and red cycle governing traffic entering the intersection from both streets.

Early morning snow sticks to untreated roads in Bethesda (Photos)

A minor snowstorm that was only to be the prelude to a larger storm tonight showed surprising tenacity in Bethesda early this morning. Montgomery County did not pretreat its roads in downtown Bethesda, and the results speak for themselves. With temperatures dropping into the mid-twenties overnight, snow has stuck to hard surfaces as much as to grass. By contrast, the Maryland State Highway Administration prepared for the snow event. An SHA contractor was seen driving a full-size tanker truck labeled "BRINE" along Wisconsin Avenue early Sunday evening. As you can see here, the treatment was quite effective on Wisconsin, which has bare pavement unlike County roads right next to it. 

Precipitation and temperature forecasts have fluctuated over the weekend. The timing has changed frequently hour by hour. Google is now showing more snow possible during this evening's rush hour, rather than later tonight or early tomorrow morning. And whereas a high of 37 degrees had been forecast for this afternoon as late as Saturday night, many forecasts now show freezing temperatures instead remaining in effect throughout the day. As a result, take care on the roads today and tonight, and watch for black ice even where the roadway looks clear. Conditions are currently hazardous on many County streets, as well as on trails, paths, and sidewalks.

New pedestrian crossing signal activated in downtown Bethesda (Video + Photos)

A new pedestrian crossing signal on downtown Bethesda's main drag has been activated by the Maryland State Highway Administration. However, the pedestrian control boxes that would be used to activate the red light when attempting to cross are still wrapped, so it is not fully operational yet. The new lights are at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) and Middleton Lane.  

MDSHA installing traffic signals at Bethesda intersection where 2 pedestrians were struck in 2019 (Photos)

The Maryland State Highway Administration is installing new traffic signals on Wisconsin Avenue (MD 355) at Middleton Lane in downtown Bethesda. Two pedestrians were struck in the crosswalk there in 2019, but residents of East Bethesda had been asking for the signal long before that. State Highway engineers initially concluded additional signals were not warranted there, but announced they would install crossing signals at three intersections after the 2019 incident. The signals that have been installed are not yet operational, so it is currently unclear if they will operate with other timed signals along MD 355 and additional signals facing Middleton, or only when activated by pedestrians seeking to cross.

MDSHA to host virtual meeting on River Road corridor safety study September 21

The Maryland State Highway Administration will host a virtual meeting on its corridor safety study of a portion of River Road (MD-190) in Bethesda on Thursday, September 21, 2023 from 6:30 - 8:00 PM. To join the meeting, follow the instructions pictured below. MDSHA states that the study's purpose is to improve pedestrian and cyclist safety on River Road between Springfield Drive and Little Falls Parkway. 

During the meeting, MDSHA will present the findings and recommendations from the study, which - interestingly but not surprisingly - was conducted with zero input or notice to the community. The Larry Hogan legacy at MDSHA persists beyond his term of office, it appears. A longtime real estate developer, Hogan oversaw a seismic culture shift at MDSHA that threw the traffic engineering book out the window. Long known for its practice of making engineering best practices a priority over political or development interests, the agency under Hogan suddenly began folding like a card table, and acquiescing to any local politician's demands. Traffic signals, speed limit changes, access restrictions, and road diets repeatedly rejected in the past as unsafe or adding to congestion were suddenly being approved left and right.

Hogan's two terms in office coincided with a drastic speed limit reduction on River Road that defies the state highway's design, requiring drivers to ride their brakes along many stretches of the road, which was designed for a 45 MPH minimum. While Midas franchisees across the county celebrated with champagne, the change did not improve safety. Drag racers and motorcyclists can be heard roaring up and down the road all night long at three times the posted speed limit or higher. 

During his governorship, Hogan was accused of approving road changes and projects that benefitted development interests, including some of his own real estate projects. The River Road record is no different, as developers and the Montgomery County politicians they control have a long term plan to bring the state highway down to 25 MPH, in preparation for urbanization and redevelopment of the corridor. 

Developers are betting that rising land values, and a long-desired state tax on country clubs, will encourage or force sales of multiple properties between Brookside Drive and the Capital Beltway. They envision townhomes and apartment buildings on the current sites of the Kenwood Golf & Country Club, of many or all of the churches and schools along that stretch, and on the American Plant property at Burdette Road. MDSHA even owns a plot of land near the intersection of River and Braeburn Parkway that is currently used as a depot, but is coveted by developers. The long-"secret" plan to extend the Purple Line to Westbard will only juice the heights and density of many of these properties.

So, don't be surprised that MDSHA is coming in with a pre-formed proposal for more changes to River Road at this virtual meeting. There was no public meeting introducing a study. There was no public input. Remember when they changed the speed limit without going through the legal and required public process, and without the required advance notice posted on the roadway? Once again, they've already got something in mind, and they're going to tell us, "This is how it's gonna be." Democracy in action!

May 31 lane closure on River Road in Bethesda

The Maryland State Highway Administration is alerting drivers on River Road near the Washington, D.C. line of an end-of-May lane closure. An electronic billboard states that the right lane of River Road will be closed at Western Avenue "on or about May 31." Thus, the new trend of low-information SHA messages continues. I'm not the only one to notice this, as The Washington Post's John Kelly recently wrote a whole column about vague SHA digital messages.

One presumes it applies to the eastbound (inbound) side of the road, as that is the side the sign is facing. Yet, if the lane closure starts at Western Avenue...it would be on the D.C. side, and the sign should be placed at the D.C. line by the D.C. Department of Transportation. As with many recent SHA digital messages, shrug your shoulders and file this away as expecting to have to change lanes somewhere in the vicinity of the D.C. line, or - better yet - plan to use Wisconsin or Massachusetts Avenue to enter the District that day.

Old Georgetown Road bike lane paint project completed in Bethesda

The Maryland State Highway Administration announced that it has completed a paint project on the new bike lanes along Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda. Green paint and striping was applied to the lanes and intersections starting back on April 10. In addition to complaints about the loss of a lane in each direction, more recently, some drivers have raised concerns about new dangers the configuration has created at some intersections (i.e. southbound, between Tuckerman Lane and Democracy Boulevard) and interstate access ramps to the Capital Beltway and I-270.

Photos courtesy Maryland State Highway Administration

Old Georgetown Road crosswalk signal repaired

The broken crosswalk signal at Old Georgetown Road and Cordell Avenue in downtown Bethesda has been repaired by the Maryland State Highway Administration. It was out of service as of last Monday. The pedestrian-activated signal triggers flashing yellow lights that drivers sometimes obey, so stay alert even when crossing with assistance of the lights. Now, if they can just repaint that faded crosswalk...

New traffic signals activated on River Road at Braeburn Parkway, crosswalk

Signals are turning red with no

pedestrians or turning vehicles present

Without advance public notice, four new traffic signals have been activated on River Road between Whittier Boulevard and Braeburn Parkway in Bethesda. The signals are part of a project the Maryland State Highway Administration began last summer to improve safety for pedestrians crossing River Road, and vehicles turning against traffic onto Pyle Road. While some in the Bannockburn area had advocated for safety improvements at that location for many years, SHA agreed to the project after a horrific auto accident at the intersection resulted in the deaths of three people in February 2016.

Last night, however, the traffic signals were operating in a much different manner than SHA had described. The signals at the crosswalk between Whittier and Braeburn were supposed to turn red when a pedestrian was crossing River Road, and the signals at Braeburn were to turn red when a vehicle attempted to turn across traffic there, with new limitations on what turns could be made. 

New traffic signal west of Whittier Boulevard
turns red Tuesday night with no pedestrian present
at or near the crosswalk

But on Tuesday evening, the signals were changing on their own, with no pedestrians or turning vehicles present. As such, they are functioning as one or two additional red lights to slow traffic and extend travel times for drivers between the District and the Capital Beltway. They were turning red with great frequency.

The misuse of the new signals by SHA aligns with the agency's politicization in recent years. While SHA made decisions based on sound engineering policies for decades, since Gov. Larry Hogan - a real estate developer - took office, the agency bends to the vast majority of the whims of Montgomery County's elected officials. Similar to the abuse of the new signals, SHA recently slashed the speed limit on River Road between Ridgefield Road and the Beltway from 45 MPH to 35 MPH, with no formal public process. The change was requested by the Montgomery County Council.

That stretch of River Road is designed for a 50 MPH speed limit, as the relentless braking needed to comply with the new 35 MPH limit amply demonstrates. Such braking is usually a clear sign to a traffic engineer that he or she has set the speed limit too low for safety. 

Taming speeds along a major state highway used by commuters, and increasing their travel times, is in line with developers' plans to urbanize the River Road corridor. In the coming decades, some developers are hopeful that various church sites, the American Plant location near the Beltway, country clubs, and valuable SHA right-of-way will become available for dense redevelopment. Getting drivers used to urban speeds is paving the way for that, and it's not surprising that developer Hogan was in office when SHA suddenly began making political decisions.

Likewise, under Hogan, the SHA has tossed its protocols and procedures out the window when politically necessary. While there was an extensive public process regarding the Braeburn Parkway-area safety solutions, there was no public process at all in the speed limit decision, nor the apparent decision to use the new safety signals as speed control.

Basic safety procedures were ignored in both cases, as well. It is standard for a transportation agency to deploy digital signs announcing a new traffic pattern weeks in advance. Signs were only deployed regarding the 35 MPH speed limit after I publicized the failure to do so. And once again, no digital signs warned of the new traffic pattern and signals in the Braeburn Parkway area.

I have not even found any bulletins online from SHA announcing the activation of the signals. The project website is out-of-date.

MDOT working on Wisconsin Avenue at Bradley Boulevard last night (Photos)

A Maryland Department of Transportation crew was out on Wisconsin Avenue around the intersection with Bradley Boulevard late last night. Some southbound lanes were closed in that area. It was unclear what MDOT was doing, and none of their traffic advisory feeds or media alerts provided drivers any advance or real-time notice of the work.

Lights, pedestrian controls installed at new downtown Bethesda crosswalk (Photos)

 

Pedestrian-activated lights and control boxes were installed at the new crosswalk at the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Chase Avenue in downtown Bethesda yesterday. What's in place so far are dash-shaped yellow flashing lights below the yellow crossing signs. So far, there are no overhead traffic signals to turn red. The new lights and controls have not yet been activated for use.

Wisconsin Avenue-Bethesda Avenue intersection crosswalk work underway (Photos)

A major Maryland State Highway Administration project is underway at the intersection of Wisconsin and Bethesda Avenues. It appears to be related to the effort to improve safety for a street-level crossing of the Capital Crescent Trail, until a replacement tunnel is constructed. The Montgomery County Council, despite having the authority to do so, infamously did not include a provision in the minor master plan amendment related to 7272 Wisconsin Avenue that would require any prospective developer of that site to construct the tunnel. 

Now, County taxpayers have to pick up the tab and wait for the Council to make the allocation of funds for tunnel construction. Until that unknown construction date, trail users will be forced to continue crossing at this busy intersection on Wisconsin Avenue. Just one more reason why it's so important to research the candidates, and their developer ties, before voting in the County Council races. A protected bike lane will be added to Bethesda Avenue between here and Woodmont Avenue as part of the temporary crossing plan.

SHA begins work on new traffic signals, improvements at River Road intersection near Whitman HS

The Maryland State Highway Administration is beginning work on a project it says will improve safety at the intersection of River Road and Braeburn Parkway, where three people died in a collision in 2016, including a Walt Whitman High School student. That collision was determined to have been caused by a westbound driver traveling at 115 MPH, but many in the nearby community have sought safety improvements at the intersection long before the deadly accident occurred.

Work on the project will continue from late summer until spring 2021. Expect temporary single-lane closures weekdays from 9:00 AM-3:00 PM, and multiple-lane closures overnights from 9:00 PM-5:00 AM the following morning. Additional lane closures may be necessary at times.

The project will construct a new traffic signal on River Road at Braeburn Parkway, and add concrete channelized islands to prohibit through- and left-turn movements from Braeburn Parkway onto River Road.

SHA will also install pedestrian-activated, full-color traffic signals on eastbound and westbound River Road in the vicinity of Pyle Road, and relocate the pedestrian crossing on westbound River Road closer to Walt Whitman High School.  In addition, SHA will construct a new Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant sidewalk connection to the existing sidewalk adjacent to the school’s athletic fields.

The improvements were driven by residents and students who organized meetings where residents voted on potential solutions, and who facilitated ongoing dialogue with SHA for several years. A separate change by SHA, lowering the River Road speed limit to 35 MPH between Ridgefield Road and the Capital Beltway, was arbitrarily executed by SHA with no public hearings nor even an informational public meeting.

New crosswalk at Wisconsin and Avondale in downtown Bethesda

A new crosswalk is being added at the north side of the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Avondale Street in downtown Bethesda. The new crosswalk also has ADA-compliant ramps and a pedestrian-activated horizontal flashing signal to alert oncoming drivers. You're still taking a greater risk using this than crossing at a signaled intersection, so remain alert and don't presume traffic will stop.