Ridgefield Road to close for 16 months in Bethesda on June 5, 2022

Ridgefield Road between River Road and Westbard Avenue will close for 16 months in the Westbard area of Bethesda beginning on or about June 5, according to digital signs posted on Westbard. When those signs appeared April 28, there was no prior warning, input opportunity or notification for the community. Close June 5 - Why? For how long? What were the plans to deal with the cut-through traffic, logistical problems and public safety dangers the closure of the primary access road to the neighborhood would create? In the ensuing weeks, I would seek answers to those questions from the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and Regency Centers.

For some background, the redevelopment now underway at the Regency Centers properties along Ridgefield and Westbard is the result of a process that formally began in 2014. It's important to keep in mind that at no time in those eight years, did the Montgomery County Planning Board or County Council ever publicly inform the community that Ridgefield Road would close for any extended period. A realignment of Westbard to meet River Road directly was part of the Westbard sector plan recommendations approved in 2016, but a total road closure for the duration of that work was not mentioned.

The initial approval of the 16-month closure by MCDOT, and thus the placement of the digital announcement signs, came out of the blue as a result. And once again, the County Council was asleep at the switch, as a decision with tremendous impact on the community passed with no one representing the interests of that community. Not only was there no public forum to discuss these impacts and consult with nearby residents, but no letter from Montgomery County nor the developer was mailed to those residents still as of this writing.

I don't believe MCDOT was fully aware of the logistical issues unique to the location that make such a closure extremely challenging in the Westbard area when it initially approved the decision. It took some time to get answers from the department, because I believe they were now looking more in-depth at the issues I raised. MCDOT eventually informed me it was scheduling a meeting with Regency Centers and several County agencies to discuss possible alternatives to the total closure, and would let me know what conclusion was reached.

A week later, that meeting was held. "During the meeting, it was confirmed that the closure of Ridgefield Road is necessary and the project phasing is appropriate," an email to me from the chief of MCDOT's Traffic Engineering and Operations Division after the meeting said. "The need to close Ridgefield Road as proposed revolves around the presence of utilities and these utilities are located along portions of the existing and proposed alignment."

"The complication with the utilities being arranged in such a way is that it is impossible to construct the new alignment while leaving the existing alignment in place for through traffic without terminating utility (telecom, water, sewer) service to the community for an extended period of time.  To avoid this untenable interruption, the phasing plan requiring a 16-month closure, was approved."

"MCDOT understands that the closure will add travel times for motorists in the area. Our office [is] working with other agencies to evaluate and mitigate impacts to the local community that may result from cut through traffic. As these efforts progress, we will reach out to you with any relevant, updated information."

So, the total closure is going forward as planned.

Here are some of the issues that I raised:

Cut-through traffic - It's not the fault of MCDOT or Regency Centers, but just reality that it is virtually impossible to prevent cut-through traffic in this situation. No detailed plans about cut-through traffic have been forwarded to me yet, but as I suspected, signs reading "Local Traffic Only" are being installed at locations like the Springfield Drive entrance to the Springfield neighborhood.

Signs like this are easily sped past by drivers. It would require an actual person to stop each vehicle and confirm the driver's address, and this is never done, and few people would want it to be done even if it were possible. As it stands, the official detours are directing drivers to take Little Falls Parkway or Goldsboro Road to Westbard Avenue.

"Local Traffic Only" sign at
River Road and Springfield Drive

Limited road connections in the Westbard area - Canceled or unbuilt road connections between River and Westbard, and existing restrictions on roads like Little Falls Parkway and Westbard Avenue, mean that the detours laid out for the closure will be too inconvenient for most drivers. For example, trucks cannot use Little Falls Parkway, it is illegal (not to mention dangerous) to make a left turn from Westbard onto River, and right turns onto Westbard from River are prohibited during some hours of the day. 

Will drivers go all the way around to Goldsboro Road and down Massachusetts Avenue and up Westbard to reach the Giant? Not likely. They'll cut through Springfield on Springfield and Ridgefield.

Increase in emergency response time - When police and fire units respond to emergencies in the Westbard area, they usually (with the exception of the Glen Echo Fire Department) come up Ridgefield to Westbard, which is much faster than using Springfield or Westbard to reach Ridgefield. That's partly because Ridgefield above Westbard, and Westbard between River and Ridgefield, have speed bumps that add up to eight seconds per bump to response times for large fire vehicles. They simply take longer to navigate than taking River to Ridgefield to Westbard.

This could be a major issue if there is a large fire at one of the high-rises on Westbard, for example.

Springfield Drive/River Road intersection has low capacity - When sidewalks were added to Springfield, someone made the decision to drop the block of Springfield between River and Ridgefield to one lane in each direction. Combined with the long traffic light cycle at the intersection, it can handle only a few cars at a time, and sometimes gets backed up now. Since you can't turn left out of Westbard to River, many people will take Ridgefield up through the neighborhood, and turn right onto Springfield to get back on River at that light. This may create quite a traffic jam in a residential neighborhood.

Pre-positioned sign on
Ridgefield Road with a
cover over it

Impact on businesses at the Westwood Shopping Center - Some patrons of businesses in the Westwood Shopping Center, which is owned by Regency and is where the first construction project is now underway, may decide the roundabout detours aren't worth the extra time and $5.00 gas.

These are just some of the major impacts that will affect the community during the closure. Hopefully I will be proven wrong about my concerns.

I will say that, with the exception of this closure announcement, Regency Centers has provided more detailed information about the redevelopment project and schedule than I have ever seen for a development in Montgomery County. And so far, the information has been accurate, and has been very helpful. As far as the major road closure ahead, plan ahead for some major complications for an extended period, and stay tuned here for further updates throughout the process.