Capital Crescent Trail/Purple Line update

There has just been so much going on along the Capital Crescent Trail and Purple Line that I can't keep up. So I'm putting it all into one post.

 

The Talbot Avenue Bridge

 

The 100 year old Talbot Avenue Bridge is going to be removed to build the Purple Line. If you've ever biked between the Georgetown Branch Trail and Bethesda, you've no doubt gone over this bridge. But because it has some historical significance, especially among the black community in the area, the County is trying to figure out how best to preserve it, at one point considering it for a footbridge over a trail or stream. But now it appears that part of it at least will go in along the new extended Capital Crescent Trail. 

Officials at the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) say they tentatively approved, with community input, two artwork proposals for the Lyttonsville station as part of the Purple Line’s $6 million art budget. One of the designs, by Maryland artist David Hess, shows one of the girders cut into two pieces and attached to the sides of the elevator shaft. The other girder would lie on the ground as a short wall between the station and the adjacent Capital Crescent Trail. The girders would be decorated with photos of Lyttonsville residents and other historic images as part of a “sculptural photo album,” according to draft designs.

 

But some longtime residents say the design loses the feeling of a bridge. Instead, they suggested placing the girders along both sides of the trail so walkers and cyclists would still feel like they were going over a bridge.

 

Tim Cupples, Montgomery’s coordinator on the state Purple Line project, said the county will explore the residents’ proposal to install the girders along the trail.

 But even this decisions still seems to be up in the air. 

 

Capital Crescent Surface Trail project

 

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett’s (D) proposed capital budget, released in January, included $3 million to design protected bike lanes in downtown Bethesda for cyclists who can no longer use the Georgetown Branch Trail during five years of the Purple Line’s construction. 

the county first will share “concepts” of the bike lanes with the community this year to get input before designing them, and the lanes should be in place in 2019. Cyclists will have their own stretch of pavement and likely be separated from traffic via plastic posts, she said.

Now is definitely the time to do this, instead of, let's say any time over the prior 20 years of planning. But bygones (technically this wasn't on the books until the 2017 Bethesda Downtown Plan), 

The design for the remaining Capital Crescent Surface Trail project (Bethesda Avenue, 47th Street, and Willow Lane bike facilities) is expected to be complete in FY18 and construction in FY19. The design for improvements along Woodmont Avenue, Montgomery

Lane / Ave, Pearl Street and Norfolk Ave /Cheltenham Drive will continue in FY19-FY20 with construction anticipated in FY19-FY21.

Ourisman Plaza

 

Rather than make the Ourisman Honda dealership in Bethesda knock down a wall that was built on the Capital Crescent Trail right-of-way, the county has agreed to accept about $1.4 million in improvements. 

Those improvements include a new 1,300-square-foot public plaza to be constructed next to where the trail meets Bethesda Avenue, new shoulders along the trail next to the Ourisman property, additional landscaping and a screen on the garage to make it more visually appealing.

I like a good win-win deal, but it seems to me like Ourisman is getting off pretty easy here. 

 

 

 

But good deal or not (and I have no idea), I do think the trail will be better here for it. The deal was approved late last month. 

 

And to add in here, the Barnes and Noble that has long sat across the street from the trailhead closed in January. It will reportedly be replaced by an Anthropologie clothing store.

 

River Road Park

 

After a very long wait, work has finally begun on River Road Park a small park located on the north side of River Road along the Capital Crescent Trail. 

The park near the trail’s River Road crossing will serve as a rest area for cyclists along the 11-mile trail and will feature a stone sitting wall, pergola, greenery and trees,

 

the first phase of the project will involve landscaping the area and adding a curb to discourage unwanted parking.

Purple Line at Sligo Creek

 

The Purple Line will cross Sligo Creek on Wayne Avenue and will intersect with the Sligo Creek Trail three too. Even though the bridge will be reconstructed, the trail won't be rerouted (it would have been nice if it could have crossed under Wayne with the creek). The sidewalks that the trail uses through the area will be rebuilt.. 

 

Finally, there's nothing bike-related about this, but this is the plan for getting the Purple Line under the BW Parkway.

 

Comments

[Smedley Burkhart]

Thank you for the comprehensive update! I, likewise, have no idea if the Ourisman deal is good, but I don't see how a "plaza" helps cyclists unless it segregates pedestrians better and eliminates the dreadfully awkward and potentially dangerous sidewalk crossing. It seems to me that creating an attractive outdoor space does the opposite, but what do I know?

As for River Rd. let's cut it down to one lane each way from Willard to Westbard with a tree-lined mall down the middle and walkable sidewalks. Hahahahaha!

[drumz]

Off topic but the powerpoint for Sligo Creek uses a fantasy metro map that has a separated blue line and a "gold line" as well. lol.

[Crickey]

Whether the Ourisman deal was good or bad is a bit beside the point. The director of the permitting department rammed the agreement through as quickly as possible in order to shuffle an embarrassing mistake by her department under the rug, a mistake that allowed the encroachment in the first place. She compounded a mistake with borderline unethical conduct.

[bikester]

I know that there is a good amount of bicycle improvements on the MoCo portion of the purple line, but have you seen any indication that any improvements will be made on the PG side? I looked through the plans and didn't see anything standing out. I was hoping areas like 410 under BW parkway would get improved sidewalks/trails, but based on the photo it looks like they will be keeping the same narrow sidewalks that currently exist.

[washcycle]

Here's all the bike projects associated wit it

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2016/03/how-the-purple-line-will-change-and-improve-trails-in-suburban-maryland.html