A traffic signal is coming to an infamous pedestrian crosswalk in downtown Bethesda.
The State Highway Administration hopes to have the signal up and running by July at Wisconsin Avenue and Stanford Street.
Residents and Montgomery County officials have asked the SHA to install some type of signal at the crosswalk for years. It’s popular because it provides access to the U.S. Post Office at 6900 Wisconsin Ave. and the Trader Joe’s grocery store across the street.
But without a signal, it’s often disregarded by motorists who fail to yield to pedestrians.
“It’s one of the busiest crosswalks we have and you’ve got to cross three lanes in each direction,” said Regional Services Center Director Ken Hartman, who represents the county government. “We’ve written a lot of tickets there for people failing to yield.”
As recently as last summer, the SHA said it seemed unlikely that even a pedestrian-activated signal would be installed at the crosswalk.
SHA spokesperson David Buck said the situation changed after the agency did a traffic signal analysis last fall and found a full traffic signal to be justified. Initially, the SHA moved the crosswalk to the south side of the intersection and added a pedestrian refuge in the median.
Buck said the project, which began last week, will cost $185,000. It will include the new traffic signal, audible pedestrian signals for the visually impaired, a countdown clock and new sidewalk ramps that meet requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Traffic engineers will design the project and coordinate with utility agencies.
The project will require some temporary lane closures from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays and weekends on Wisconsin Avenue between Bradley Boulevard and Woodmont Avenue.
The contract for the project was awarded to Scott A. Duncan Inc. based in Harmans, Maryland.
