Planning dept asking for some (good) changes to Purple Line/CCT

Highlights:

The county Planning Board on Thursday, March 20 will hold a public hearing about comments it will send to the Maryland Transit Administration, the agency in charge of the Purple Line.

The state and federal governments will have final say when it comes to the final design of the estimated $2.37 billion project. On Thursday, the Planning Department showed off a special web page dedicated to what it will tell the MTA in a series of mandatory referrals on the light rail, the Capital Crescent Trail, Silver Spring Green Trail and Bethesda Metro Station South Entrance.

Many comments are small in nature — planners ask the MTA to provide bicycle channels on stairway connections on the Capital Crescent Trail, to widen a planned sidewalks along East-West Highway and to build a Connecticut Avenue traction power substation into the tracks and trail to reduce visual impacts.

Staff also is asking the MTA to accommodate a stair on the north side of the trail at the planned Chevy Chase Lake Purple Line station. That stair would be provided by the developer of the area.

Staff also put together an interactive map that points to parts of the Purple Line design where county planners would like to see changes.

Other ideas from the website (the map really. It's very useful)

• In addition to lighting the Capital Crescent Trail under the Lyttonsville Place bridge, provide wall-wash lighting along the bridge abutment walls to enhance pedestrian safety

• Widen the proposed 5-foot wide sidewalk on both sides of Lyttonsville Place to at least 7 feet to meet AASHTO recommendations and provide bicycle lanes by removing the “activity lane”.
• Provide a larger landing area at the base of the proposed ramp down to the Capital Crescent Trail from Lyttonsville Place. The landing and crossing could be designed to incorporate local historical and cultural enhancements.
• Eliminate both rows of parking on the Spring Street bridge. Widen the proposed 5-foot-wide sidewalks to 13 feet wide. Separate the 16-foot-wide shared travel lane into 11-foot-wide thru lanes and 5-foot-wide bike lanes.
• SSTC Trail Access - Evaluate whether it is possible to provide direct access to the Purple Line mezzanine from the Capital Crescent Trail to the east of the escalator. 
• Relocate the stormwater management facility proposed on the remnant of 1110 Bonifant Street to an offsite location. After completion of the Purple Line, the County should be given first right of refusal for use of the remnants of this parcel for the Silver Spring Bicycle Parking Facility. 
• Manchester Place Station Bicycle Access -Continue to explore ways for cyclists traveling on Wayne Avenue to cross the Purple Line tracks at a 60 to 90 degree angle. 
• Extend the Piney Branch Road culvert at Long Branch to permit future construction of a 10-foot wide sidewalk.
• Construct cycle tracks (or buffered bike lanes) on University Boulevard where right-of-way is available, and transition from the cycle tracks (or buffered bike lanes) to bicycle lanes where the right-of-way is constrained. However, if there is not agreement to construct cycle tracks, provide 8-foot-shared use paths along both sides of University Boulevard where right-of-way is available or property acquisitions occur as recommended in the Long Branch Sector Plan and Takoma/ Langley Crossroads Sector Plan. Where sufficient space is not available, the shared use path should transition into a sidewalk.

Comments

[Wayne Phyillaier]

An important recommendation from M-NCPPC staff not shown on the map:
MTA should Include a strong incentive in the RFP to keeping the trail closure during rebuilding to a minimum, and MC DOT should develop a detour bike route on local streets.

The closure of the Interim CCT for several years is going to be painful. But I've been waiting for the CCT in my Silver Spring neighborhood since 1988 and I'm still waiting. This closure will lead to finally having a CCT complete into Silver Spring - a price worth paying.