Underground Blasting to Occur at MD 355 and the Medical Center Metro Station Beginning the Week of July 17

For Immediate Release: Friday, July 7, 2017

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As part of the Crossing Project at the Medical Center Metro Station, three underground test blasts are expected to occur the week of July 17, with the first planned for Monday, July 17, weather permitting. Although specific dates are not yet confirmed, there will be one blast a day that will occur between 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Once the tests are completed, underground blasting for elevator shafts and the underground tunnel connecting the elevator to the Metrorail mezzanine will occur four to five times a week through mid-2018. No blasting will occur during peak traffic hours between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m., and 3:30 and 7:30 p.m. or on weekends, except under special circumstances. The public will be notified in advance of any planned nighttime or weekend blasting. Minimal ground vibrations may be felt by some people.

Intermittent traffic closures are expected to occur during the initial four to five weeks of blasting. The need for further traffic closures will be assessed and if required, advance notice will be provided to the public.

Five minutes before any blast, a warning horn will sound that will consist of five long signals. One minute before the blast, the horn will sound 10 short signals. Five to 10 minutes prior to a blast, vehicle and pedestrian traffic will be stopped along Rockville Pike, between Jones Bridge Road and South Wood Drive (Navy Gate #2). An “all clear” short horn signal will sound after blasting and normal traffic will resume one minute after the blast. Only individuals in the project vicinity are expected to hear the blast warning horns.

The blasting is part of the ongoing construction of the Crossing Project at the Medical Center Metro Station, which will establish a shallow pedestrian underpass between the National Institutes of Health and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, and deep elevators on the Navy side of MD 355 to the Metrorail mezzanine.  Construction of the Crossing Project is anticipated through mid-2021.

 

 

Release ID: 17-153
Media Contact: Phil Alperson, Montgomery County BRAC Coordinator 240-777-2595