County officials on Monday showed off renderings of a new sidewalk, shared-use path and bicycle lanes that could be coming to Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda.
The county’s Department of Transportation (MCDOT) wants to build an eight-foot shared-use path on the north side of Bradley from Wilson Lane to Glenbrook Road. It also hopes to install a five-foot sidewalk on the south side of the stretch and five-foot bicycle lanes in the shoulders on both sides of a slightly shrunken down roadway.
MCDOT showed off the renderings above at a public workshop on Monday. It’s taking comments about Phase II of the project, which will soon be at the 35-percent design phase and ready to go to the County Council. It could be included in next spring’s six-year capital budget.
The county first studied improvements to the stretch in 2009, spurred by a 2003 request from the South Bradley Hills Civic Association to build a sidewalk along the north side of Bradley Boulevard.
Area bicyclist groups and bicycle commuters, including MoBike and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, then asked the county to include bicycle lanes that are prescribed in two separate master plans for the stretch of road.
In 2011, a County Council committee recommended widening the road shoulders from four feet to five feet and designing them with bicycle lanes, which would mean no more parking along Bradley Boulevard.
The shared-use path, sidewalk and a 15-foot drainage swale would be built within the 100-foot State Highway right-of-way around the stretch of road.
Opposition to the project remains from some Bradley Boulevard residents worried about how the new sidewalk and shared-use path will affect property values and traffic safety.
MCDOT says the new features will fill a gap in Bethesda’s sidewalk network, improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and bring drainage improvements that meet modern stormwater management requirements. A conceptual stormwater management plan is already underway.
The bicycle lanes and shared-use path would connect bicyclists and pedestrians to Glenbrook Road, where they could head south on Little Falls Parkway toward the Capital Crescent Trail.
MCDOT is also working with the State Highway Administration to provide two extra crosswalks in the stretch. There’s no cost estimate for the project yet.
Via MCDOT
