Members of the Montgomery County Planning Board say they support construction of a pedestrian tunnel under Georgia Avenue to provide access to the Forest Glen Metro Station and urge the county to fund the project.
On Thursday, the board reviewed plans for the proposed 334-foot tunnel at Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road and praised the project’s goal of providing improved access to the station and a safer experience for pedestrians. Board members also emphasized that the county needed to prioritize funding for the project.
According to Montgomery County Department of Transportation officials, the $48.3 million project is only about 35% funded and the county will need to allocate money to help pay for the rest of the project in the next six-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget, which starts in fiscal year 2027. Officials said at Thursday’s meeting said the most recent CIP recommendation by the County Council calls for construction of the tunnel to begin in fiscal year 2030, which starts July 1, 2029.
According to planning documents, the goal of the tunnel is to improve access to the Metro station at 9730 Georgia Ave. for those who live in neighborhoods and work in the area.
County officials say the passageway would improve pedestrian safety by removing the need for pedestrians to cross the heavily traveled, six- to eight-lane Georgia Avenue, also known as MD 97. Many stretches of Georgia Avenue are part of the county’s High Injury Network, which includes sections of roadways in the county that have the highest incidences of serious and fatal collisions.
“Traffic volumes and speeds on MD 97 can be very high, and pedestrians must cross over eight lanes of traffic. These crossings can be very intimidating, reducing community connectivity and use of the Forest Glen Metro Station,” according to county Capital Improvements Program budget documents referring to the project.
At Thursday’s meeting, the board reviewed a mandatory referral of the project from the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). Mandatory referrals are plans submitted by government entities and reviewed by the board on an advisory basis.
During the public hearing portion of the meeting, several residents in the Forest Glen area shared their input and support for the project, with some expressing the need for a safer crossing at the Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road intersection.
Resident Madeleine Dwyer Schirf, who said she commutes daily on the Metro, described the experience of crossing Georgia Avenue as a “perilous endeavor.” She noted she has almost been hit by cars on four occasions while crossing the intersection.
“I’m extremely concerned about this happening more frequently now that I, like many other federal employees, are going to the office every single day instead of two days a week,” Schirf said. “Anecdotally, I can certainly say it looks like there’s a lot more commuters every single day.”
Forest Glen resident Matt Griffin told board members he supported construction of the pedestrian passageway, calling the intersection “scary.” He noted he has young children and typically opts to drive and park at the Metro station instead of walking.
Near the intersection are the Forest Glen Medical Center, the Montgomery Hills Baptist Church and Siena School, the Americana Finnmark Condominiums, and several neighborhoods of single-family homes. Holy Cross Hospital on Forest Glen Road is about 2,000 feet east of the intersection. According to planning documents, the hospital is one of the county’s largest employers and the second largest hospital in Maryland.
Funding schedule
Board Chair Artie Harris said he supported the project and encouraged the county to prioritize funding for the tunnel in the county’s next (CIP) cycle.
“Big picture, I’m very supportive of this passageway,” he said. “I foresee a lot of usage, so this would be good for existing and future residents.”
Rebecca Park, a project manager at MCDOT, told board members that while 35% of the project’s cost is currently funded, there is no approved funding in the current six-year CIP to move the project forward.
The next CIP cycle begins in fiscal year 2027, according to Planning Director Jason Sartori, and planning for that cycle is beginning now. Sartori noted that a new six-year CIP will be approved by the County Council in spring 2026.
“If they do put funding in for this [project], it’s not a guarantee that it would be in the first year or two of the CIP. It could be something that’s funded several years out,” Sartori said during Thursday’s meeting.
Commissioners Josh Linden, who appeared at the meeting via video streaming, Shawn Bartley and James Hedrick also praised the project and highlighted its importance to improving pedestrian safety in the area.
“This needs to get constructed as soon as possible,” Bartley said. “I’m excited about this project but unfortunately, it is going to take a while to get built. But it is a project that I think needs priority.”
Commissioner Mitra Pedoeem, the board’s fifth member who was reappointed to the board by the County Council on Tuesday, was not present at Thursday’s meeting.
Pedestrian safety, easier access
Montgomery Planning staff recommended the board approve the mandatory referral for the passageway project, according to planning documents. Staff noted the project should provide “safe and comfortable routes for people walking, biking and rolling to access both the proposed project” and the Forest Glen Metro station at the southwest corner of the intersection.
On any given day, about 500 pedestrian trips will occur across Georgia Avenue, according to an MCDOT presentation about the project.
The underground Metro station has a parking lot, bus bays and kiss-and-ride facilities on the north side of Forest Glen Road. Those above-ground facilities are connected to the station through an existing tunnel under Forest Glen Road and the proposed passageway would connect with that existing tunnel.
In addition to the passageway, the project proposes construction of a new entrance plaza with canopied stairs and elevators at the northeast corner of the Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road intersection. The plaza would be on property at 9801 Georgia Ave., where the Forest Glen Medical Center is located.
Another entrance with elevators would be built at the station at the southwest corner of the intersection on property owned by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, according to planning documents.
According to the most recent CIP recommendation, the county expects to pursue land acquisition for the tunnel project in fiscal year 2029, which begins July 1, 2028.
