Maryland to begin removing temporary bus lanes from Wisconsin Avenue

BETHESDA, Md. - Starting on Labor Day, 7.5 miles of bus lanes along Wisconsin Avenue in Maryland will be removed. 

They stretch from North Bethesda to Friendship Heights, and were put in place while the Metro's Red Line underwent major construction this summer.

What we know:

Maryland officials announced Thursday that they would begin removing the bus lanes on Labor Day, Sept. 7. They were put in place two months ago to coincide with major work on the Red Line, including the construction of a new mezzanine at Bethesda to connect Metro Rail to the future Purple Line.

During Metro's construction project, free shuttles ran between the North Bethesda and Friendship Heights stations.

At the onset of the project, officials said they were looking into whether a stretch of the new bus lanes should be made permanent. Now, after gathering data, they said that will not happen, adding that they plan to release an analysis of the bus lane performance in the fall.

Residents react

What they're saying:

Thursday evening in Bethesda, FOX 5 asked people what they thought about the removal of the bus lanes and heard mixed reviews.

"The bus lanes are not honored," said Jeanne Ferris, noting that drivers frequently park in the bus lanes. "The bus lane is not ideal. So, I would say get rid of it."

"I think they should leave them permanent. I mean, there’s already so many people commuting in and out of DC that I feel like, if anything, there should be more buses," explained Lucca Maley.

"I’m gonna be really glad to be back on the train," added Jesse Cresswell. "It’s a lot easier to not have to get off and then get back on, but I did think this was a pretty good solution."

What's next:

Work to remove the bus lane striping and signage is expected to continue overnights from Monday through Friday. 

During that time, on-street parking will also be restored.