MD 355 to lose lanes for summer Metro closures, threatening commuter delays
MD 355 to lose lanes for summer Metro closures, threatening commuter delays
Right after July 4, MD 355 will drop from three lanes to two in each direction for dedicated bus shuttles during a two-month summer Metro station closure, threatening major commuter delays.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD. - Maryland 355 through Montgomery County will lose a lane of traffic in each direction right after the Fourth of July, as lanes are reduced from three to two to accommodate dedicated bus shuttles during summer Metro station closures.
Commuters heading south into D.C. on MD 355 will face major delays this summer when three lanes of traffic in each direction through Bethesda are reduced to two, according to Montgomery County officials.
What we know:
The new lane restrictions will take effect right after the Fourth of July to accommodate Metro's two-month closure of the Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations, officials said. To bridge the gap, Metro will run shuttle buses in newly painted, dedicated northbound and southbound lanes.
While the bus lanes through downtown Bethesda are expected to be temporary, the ones north of the Beltway may become permanent.
What they're saying:
Metro and the Maryland Department of Transportation are working together on the project, generating a mix of opinions from people FOX 5 D.C. spoke with Monday.
Some are concerned about additional congestion, saying traffic will be a "nightmare" during rush hours.
"It's going to make a bad situation worse. That's the bottom line," one man said. "And several people I've talked to are like, 'What the heck are we supposed to do?"
"It's probably going to be a problem for a lot of other people because it's always full here, always. And also the buses are wide. It's going to slow traffic," another person added.
"I think it's going to be an issue, especially for a lot of businesses around here, because there aren't that many parking spaces available. So I think it's going to be a big problem," another said.
Metro has created maps to show what it's doing and where the express and local bus routes will operate. The buses will run every five to eight minutes between the North Bethesda and Friendship Heights stations, and the lanes will be open and restrictions enforced Monday through Saturday from 6:30 a.m. until 9:30 p.m.
"We want to be responsive to all the users of the corridor in the summer," Derek Gunn, a district engineer with the Maryland State Highway Administration, told FOX 5. "As we expect improved transit time reliability and service, we also want to be sure that we're not disrupting the commute times of the folks still using Maryland 355."
What's next:
The main construction project Metro will be working on this summer is a new mezzanine at the Bethesda station to link the Red Line to Maryland's Purple Line station there.
That connection is not expected to open until the end of next year at the earliest.
The Source: Information from FOX 5 D.C. reporting and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.