Eight Years of Utility Work & Construction for a Half-mile in Montgomery Hills (GA Ave & 495)?

[Anonymous]

There was a presentation Wednesday by MDOT on planned changes to the stretch of GA Ave from the Beltway interchange to 16th St. Plenty of questionable decisions, but I'm guessing those are par for the course, unless the community has outsized influence on the process (e.g., incorporated areas like TP or CC, or just those with loads of $). What really was shocking was the timeline -- three years of utility work (just moving poles/no undergrounding) beginning in 2024, and then four years of construction beginning in 2028.

Is that anywhere near typical? It's not like they are rebuilding the overpass or anything. Seems like a lot of agony for both locals and through traffic with little benefit.

https://mdot-sha-md97-md390-to-md192-mo2242115-maryland.hub.arcgis.com/

[Anonymous]

The powerpoint just makes it look like they're just changing existing lanes to make them into lanes for bikes and buses. Am I missing something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The powerpoint just makes it look like they're just changing existing lanes to make them into lanes for bikes and buses. Am I missing something?

Yes.

[Anonymous]

I do not see the code word - road diet.....I thought all bike lanes work will be advertised as road-diet ...

[Anonymous]

As someone who lives along that stretch- the changes are sorely needed. The 495 interchange is a mess and there is no dedicated turn lane into forest Glen road which leads to a lot of accidents. But it does seem like a really long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not see the code word - road diet.....I thought all bike lanes work will be advertised as road-diet ...

Road diet is not a "code word".

https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures/road-diets-roadway-configuration