A delayed sidewalk improvement project on Wisconsin Avenue is causing headaches for some residents and a prominent business.
The Maryland State Highway Administration is upgrading sidewalk ramps on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue between Old Georgetown Road and North Brook Lane to meet Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards.
But a spot in front of Charleston Alexander Diamond Importers and patches near the CVS pharmacy, Chevy Chase Cars Acura dealership and Bank of Georgetown remain unfinished, almost a year after the project was scheduled to be completed.
“It’s certainly been an inefficient process,” said Laurie Williams, general manager of Charleston Alexander.
Williams estimated that before the jewelry store opened in 2005, it paid $50,000 to have red brick installed that matched the rest of the sidewalk.
Crews removed the brick to make way for the ADA improvements, but that work remains uncompleted.
Last Friday, a section of the sidewalk in front of the store was dug up and closed off with orange traffic markers. Since, crews have poured asphalt to smooth over the hole and reopen the sidewalk. But the red bricks that line the rest of the stretch are still missing.
“It doesn’t look good to anyone walking by. It gives the appearance that we are closed or inaccessible,” Williams said.
A few members of the Woodmont Triangle Action Group, an advisory committee of residents, developers and business representatives, expressed frustration with the project at last Friday’s monthly meeting.
SHA community liaison Christopher Bishop said he believed the delay stems from finding the proper brick to replace the brick that was taken out, but he would contact the project manager for a more thorough explanation.
The ADA improvements are just one part of the project, which also included the grinding and resurfacing of all lanes between Old Georgetown Road and North Brook Lane, installing new pavement markings and replacing concrete curbs and gutters.
The ADA portion of the project began in August. The entire project, which began in spring 2011, does not appear on a SHA list of Montgomery County projects.
