Lots 31 and 31A, better known as the parking lots across the street from Barnes and Noble at Bethesda and Woodmont Aves., is becoming the Area 51 of Bethesda. Some of the new traffic is temporary and some is permanent.
Temporary:
Woodmont Ave. will be closed for approximately two years so that a massive underground parking lot can be constructed underneath the existing street as well as the two parking lots.
Permanent:
It will no longer be possible to make a left turn from Woodmont Ave. on to Leland St. due to the construction of a new median designed to block this sort of turn. As a result, Leland St. will no longer serve as a cut through between Woodmont Ave. and Bradley Blvd. or Hillandale St. All of that existing traffic will be dumped on to already overcrowded Wisconsin Ave. and Bradley Blvd.
Woodmont Ave. will be narrowed so that there are no longer two lanes of traffic in each direction throughout its length between Bethesda and Wisconsin Aves., presumably making it more difficult to traverse that stretch of road. I also wonder where Ourisman will unload cars now.
Finally, the 250 new residences will also add cars to the road in Bethesda. You didn't really think that they would all ride Metro?
Friday, June 22, 2007
Creating Traffic
