The Montgomery County Planning Board approved the plan for phase 1 of the Capital Crescent Surface Trail (CCST) last week, bringing it closer to construction which is expected to start in 2019.
The CCST will connect the current northern end of the CCT mainline to Georgetown with the to-be-built section along the Purple Line at Elm Street Local Park. The tunnel that the trail used to go through has been closed and will be taken up by the Purple Line. The CCT will eventually run in a new tunnel built just for the trail.
Phase 1 of the CCTSR will get the trail from the trailhead to 47th Street and phase 2
will include a bikeway along 47th Street on the west side of Elm Street Local Park, providing a connection to the CCT Mainline and CCT Tunnel at the eastern portal. However, the 47th Street segment of the project has not yet been advanced to 30 percent design due to continuing discussions with the Department of Parks and the Town of Chevy Chase and uncertainty about the location of the eastern portal of the CCT Tunnel.
The CCST will be a protected bike lane all the way to Elm Street Park. It will start on the south side of Bethesda Avenue and then cross to the north side at the Woodmont Intersection. A diagonal crossing for cyclists will be provided across the intersection of Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue with a protected traffic signal phase. There will also be some PBL along Woodmont. This call all be seen in the image at the top.
At Wisconsin Avenue, the trail will pass through a redesigned Artery Plaza to allow for a seamless connection to the interim separated lanes on the south side of Willow Lane. The Willow lane bike lanes are interim due to limited right of way and anticipated future development.
This crossing (of Wisconsin) will require removal of the artwork, “Artery Plaza Sunwork”. The crossing will permit cyclists to cross Wisconsin Avenue within a protected phase of the traffic signal cycle.
The plaza path will cut the bikeway directly across it.
The planning staff recommended approval with some comments, such as "create additional queuing space to accommodate bicyclists
queuing at the northeast corner [of Woodmont and Bethesda], such as creating more space for bicyclists to queue at the diagonal crossing."
If work starts in 2019, I don't know when it will be completed or when phase 2 would start or end, but the trail from Elm Street Park to Betheda is to be completed in 2022. The tunnel is TBD.
Has funding for the trail tunnel been secured? If not, I can readily predict the day when this feature is eliminated to save costs.
Posted by: Jeffb | October 31, 2018 at 09:04 AM
Most of the tunnel is being built by the developers of the Apex building site. Only the design of the County part of the tunnel has been funded and the construction is to be funded in 2019.
Posted by: washcycle | October 31, 2018 at 10:12 AM
Most of the tunnel is being built by the developers of the Apex building site. Only the design of the County part of the tunnel has been funded and the construction is to be funded in 2019.
The section along Reed Street (from Apex to Woodmont) has also been funded.
Posted by: washcycle | October 31, 2018 at 10:13 AM
Other items of note.
These are funded:
• Montgomery Lane / Montgomery Avenue Two-Way Separated Bike Lanes (2020)
• Woodmont Avenue Separated Bike Lanes (2020)
And this is partially funded:
Bicycle Parking Station at the Bethesda Purple Line station (station envelope by 2020, outfitting
TBD)
Posted by: washcycle | October 31, 2018 at 10:15 AM
In downtown Bethesda, they have a phrase for unseparated bike lanes: double parking spots.
Posted by: Crickey | October 31, 2018 at 05:06 PM
The corner cut with the two zebra crossings in the last image would offer endless entertainment.
Posted by: Smedley Burkhart | November 01, 2018 at 10:21 AM