Press Releases - Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Thursday, April 13, 2017

The Montgomery County Dept. of Transportation (MCDOT) plans four weekends of dual lane closures on Rockville Pike between Woodmont Avenue and Wilson Drive (NIH) in Bethesda during late April and early May. The lane closures will occur beginning Friday at 10 p.m. through 5 a.m. Monday, weather and progress of work permitting.

The dual lane closures are planned to occur:

Friday night April 21 through early Monday April 24;
Friday night April 28 through early Monday May 1;
Friday night May 5 through early Monday May 8; and
Friday night May 12 through early Monday May 15.

These lane closures are required during construction of the Multimodal Crossing Project at the Medical Center Metro Station and Naval Support Activity Bethesda (NSAB). The Crossing Project will include a pedestrian underpass beneath Rockville Pike and deep elevators to the Metrorail mezzanine on the east side of Rockville Pike.

Construction of the Crossing Project will occur through mid-2021, so MCDOT has developed a long-term Maintenance of Traffic Plan to keep travelers safe while accommodating the needs of the construction contractors. Closure plans for Rockville Pike, between Woodmont Avenue and Wilson Drive, could include any of the following:

Daytime, off-peak single lane closures 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Overnight dual lane closures from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday.
Weekend dual lane closures from 10 p.m. Friday through 5 a.m. Monday.

Full closure of Rockville Pike near the Medical Center Metro Station will occur for five to 10 minutes when blasting is required to construct a new elevator shaft. Blasting will occur at off-peak hours that will be arranged in coordination with the County Fire Marshall.

MCDOT will announce in advance the actual dates and times of future lane closures.

The Crossing Project was conceived following the federal BRAC law enacted in 2005 and implemented in 2011, which mandated an increase of personnel at NSAB, home of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, by nearly 45 percent and doubled the number of annual campus visits to approximately one million. Daily pedestrian crossings of Rockville Pike at NSAB/Walter Reed have increased from 3,000 prior to 2011 to 7,000 after 2011. The Crossing Project, which is fully funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, will enhance safety for users of Metrorail, commuter buses, carpools and neighborhood pedestrians, and provide safe access to and from the NSAB campus.

Additional information about the Crossing Project is available online.

Release ID: 17-092
Media Contact: Esther Bowring 240-777-7155