A mysterious framework of a structure is rising on Elm Street near Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda. It is in the street, not on the Hampden House construction site. Work is resuming on the future south entrance to the Bethesda Metro station, which will be located alongside Elm Street, as well as an elevator shaft for that entrance and for the Purple Line. However, no public announcement was made about this structure that has appeared, and I've never seen anything like this erected above-grade during construction of other underground Metro facilities in the past. The structure must be temporary, as Elm Street will reopen once the Purple Line station is completed.
Now, *that* is intriguing. Okay, Mr. Dyer, you have your assignment: find out what the devil that thing is.
ReplyDeleteAs presented at several Purple Line community advisory meetings, they are building a gantry crane enclosure. This will allow a mobile rolling crane to roll over and past the excavation, to allow material to be lifted out onto trucks, and equipment unloaded and craned down into the shaft. The new contractor decided this was better than parking a big mobile lufting crane on the site. It also encloses the construction to reduce noise for neighbors, as well as protecting the construction from rain and snow.
ReplyDeleteLarge overhead doors on each end let trucks pull into the enclosure. A large exhaust duct will evacuate air from the shaft. The remaining sides and roof will likely have insulated metal panel cladding.
I saw that on Saturday and tools pics hoping you would too and make a post about it. It extends at least half way into the lane of traffic which has already become a parking lot due to lazy delivery drivers, Tatte' customers and Fox building tenants & visitors. I thought that was bad enough, but this! A building encroaching into a major county or state road?! At least the behemoth eyesore monstrosity that is the Marriott HQ at least had the foresight to have a small cutaway drop-off Lane directly across from the Darryl Davis Supper Club.
ReplyDeleteThere are many weird allowances given to developers all along Wisconsin starting at Bradley. The stairs from the new Jeep dealer to Staples used to impede the sidewalk but have been somewhat mitigated. All along the block at Tatte, the cut ins are trop hazards somewhat made 'safer' with asphalt patches. The sidewalk along in front of Moby Dick's block is third world. Along where True Food is , there are little trop hazard terraces right at the intersections? What's that all about? I've seen a few trist theories ankles there.
DeleteDon't get me started on how the country has turned a blind eye to flashing (moving) signage. By code, it's illegal, even the old barber poles don't comply. Even our fire station makes a mockery of the law. It looks cheap.
I looks like an overhead crane to me. Useful for lowering things into and lifting out of the vertical shaft.
ReplyDeleteMust be a temporary structure to support the Excavation and Construction of the Elevator Shafts and Emergency Stairways leading down to the NEW Purple Line Station and down to the NEW South Entrance to the Bethesda METRO Station.
ReplyDeleteThank you, 1:23
ReplyDeleteDitto
DeleteAs an aside, I grew up knowing the lead Metro architect, Mr. Stanley Allan of Harry Reese Architects (outta Chicago) and his family. I distinctly remember his talking about all this back in the 70's, and particularly how and why the existing Bethesda underground part is so long. He had the vision, back then. His one regret later was that escalator tech and improvements never really developed.
ReplyDeleteHarry Weese?
DeleteIs it a remake of: A Nightmare on Elm Street?
ReplyDeleteElmer Gantry?
ReplyDelete