Press Releases
Montgomery County Department of Transportation Plans to Permanently Repair Sink Hole Damage to Belfast Road in Potomac Will Necessitate Road Closure from Thursday through Saturday
For Immediate Release: Tuesday, July 9, 2019
A section of Belfast Road in Potomac that was washed out during the heavy rains of Monday morning, July 8, was temporarily restored within eight hours to give more than 70 families access to their homes. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has now developed a plan to permanently repair the only roadway to that neighborhood, but work will result in the road being closed at 10 a.m. on Thursday and not being reopened for approximately 48 hours.
During the closure period, MCDOT will provide a shuttle service that will take residents to nearby stores, to public transportation or to their vehicles if left at specific locations. MCDOT employees today are providing information to the affected families on the repair process, the need to close the road and how the shuttle operation will work.
MCDOT is also coordinating with the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, the U.S. Postal Service, Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery County Police, the Department of Environmental Protection and other stakeholders on what plans need to be in place to help the residents during the period the road will be closed.
About 11 a.m. on Monday, the overwhelming rains caused the structural failure of the two-lane road between Laurel Leaf Drive and Whiterim Terrace, just east of MacArthur Boulevard. A stream runs beneath Belfast Road, which led to the failure. A path approximately 10 feet wide was washed away across both lanes. MCDOT was at the scene quickly to assess the damage and begin the temporary repairs that had both lanes passable by 6:30 p.m. Monday evening.
The key details of information that is being distributed to all affected residents:
- Trash collection: Since trash collection was missed on Monday, collections will be made prior to the road closure on Thursday. Residents are asked to put their trash out on Wednesday evening.
- USPS mail: No home deliveries of mail will be made on Thursday or Friday. USPS will hold all mail addressed to the affected homes for pickup at its Post Office at 10221 River Road in Potomac. Any mail not picked up will be delivered on the next possible delivery date.
- Shuttle service: The shuttle will run on a loop route 24/7 while the road is closed. To access the shuttle from the neighborhood, residents should proceed to the intersection of Belfast Road and Laurel Leaf Drive. From that point, a County employee will lead them on a path to the shuttle pickup point at Kingsgate Road. Residents are encouraged to leave their cars at one of three points that will be serviced by the shuttle: the parking lot on MacArthur Boulevard across from Old Angler’s Inn (Montgomery County Police and the National Park Services Police will increase patrols of the parking location); the Potomac Village Shopping Center; or the Bethesda Metro Station.
Questions about the situation can be directed to the Montgomery County information center at 311 or to Josh Faust, the MCDOT Highway Services public outreach manager, at 240-777-7642.
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Media Contact: Maureen McNulty 240-777-7199