Press Releases - Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, June 1, 2016

MCDOT’s Capital Crescent Garage in Bethesda has won the International Parking Institute’s (IPI) Award of Excellence for best design of a parking facility with more than 800 spaces. This is the top award in this category and was presented to MCDOT at the International Parking Institute’s annual awards ceremony in May. In addition, Parking Management won a Parking Matters® Marketing and Communications award, which recognizes outstanding parking related marketing, public relations, or communications programs and campaigns.

Using social media and its website, the Division of Parking Management developed a creative campaign using colorful graphics to promote its innovative programs. These innovations include solar powered smart parking meters, electric vehicle charging stations, pay by cell technology, real time signs and mobile applications that indicate parking space availability in garages, a digital permit that eliminates the need for paper permits in vehicles parked in restricted areas, a system that enables parkers to preregister their vehicle and exit a garage without stopping to pay, and a parking boot that allows delinquent parkers to pay their tickets by cell phone without being towed.

The award-winning Capital Crescent Garage is located at the intersection of Woodmont and Bethesda avenues on two former surface parking lots. The garage is part of a public-private, mixed use development that added 250 residential units, ground level retail, more than tripled the number of public parking spaces available on the site to 960 spaces, and added an additional 290 private parking spaces for tenants.

More information about IPI is available online.

Release ID: 16-135
Media Contact: Esther Bowring 240-777-7155