Purple Line delays and the end of a redevelopment project that would’ve brought a cycle track to Bethesda Avenue have Montgomery County officials considering new ways to get Capital Crescent Trail bicyclists across busy Wisconsin Avenue.
The county would like to have the crossing set up before construction starts on the Purple Line, since the Bethesda station would be built in the existing Trail tunnel and likely provide just a five-foot wide sidewalk.
The county has already installed signage at the intersection of Bethesda Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue directing bicyclists and pedestrians around the existing trail tunnel route.
But uncertainty over the Purple Line’s future means the county has more time to figure out how and when to pay for bicycle improvements in the area.
On Monday, Council staff presented three options for projects and budgeting for the crossing:
1. Remove the on-street parking on the north side of Bethesda Avenue, restripe it for the two-way cycle track and demarcate it from the travel lanes with flex-posts, and construct the crossing improvements at each end. Cost: under $500,000.
2. Remove the on-street parking on the north side of Bethesda Avenue, construct the two-way cycle track with a narrow median between it and the travel lanes, and construct the crossing improvements at each end. Cost: about $1 million.
3. The same as (2) above, but also widen the north-side sidewalk to 10′. This could be somewhat complicated, as there are some retaining walls that may need to be rebuilt as well as trees and utility poles to be relocated.
The cycle track along Bethesda Avenue would conform with the minor master plan meant to encourage the owners of the Apex Building to redevelop their building and allow for a new trail tunnel to be built below.
On County Executive Isiah Leggett’s recommendation, the County Council agreed not to offer a multi-million dollar package to incentivize the building’s owners to redevelop.
Additionally, Bethesda Avenue property owner JBG and Bethesda Row developer Federal Realty backed out of a joint development deal that would’ve provided for the cycle track. JBG has since decided to pursue a smaller redevelopment project that would involve rebuilding its existing office buildings on the street.
It could be up to the county to provide for the cycle track. Or, it could go with a Leland Street crossing of Wisconsin Avenue, a suggestion Councilmember Roger Berliner said he thinks might be more appealing to bicyclists. A crossing at the spot would put Trail users closer to a planned cut-thru behind the Lot 31 project that leads directly to the off-road portion of the Trail.
The county was set to spend $857,000 on utility relocation for the Wisconsin Avenue crossing at Bethesda Avenue this year, but there’s no chance that work could happen by June.
Montgomery County Department of Transportation staff are set to come back with more specific plans and cost estimates in April, at which point the Council could decide to fund one of the crossing options for next fiscal year.
A crossing at street-level on Bethesda Avenue would require bicyclists to mix with pedestrians at the intersection’s northeast corner.
