Water main break on Bethesda Avenue (Video + Photos)

A water main break occurred last night on Bethesda Avenue, between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue, in the area of Bethesda Row. Substantial pooling of water was evident, as well as a small gusher rising from the pavement. Temperatures have been unseasonably wide in variation over the last couple of weeks, with highs in the 70s often falling to lows near 40 degrees at night. Thus, it is not surprising to see water main breaks, even though they are more typical in winter months.

Armed robbery on Bethesda Avenue

Montgomery County police responded to a report of an armed robbery on Bethesda Avenue on the evening of August 11, 2024. The robbery was reported in the 4900 block of Bethesda Avenue at 9:37 PM. Police say three suspects ganged up on, and assaulted, the adult male victim. They fled with property belonging to the victim.

Police describe the suspects only as three Black males in their early 20s. If you have any information about this incident, or can identify any of the three suspects, call police at (301) 279-8000.

Car jumps curb in Bethesda Row collision (Photos)

UPDATE - 3:24 PM: The Montgomery County Department of Transportation now also has a crew at the scene to replace the damaged pole and crossing signals. They are coordinating with Pepco.

An SUV left the road in a collision around noon today at the intersection of Bethesda Avenue and Woodmont Avenue in the Bethesda Row area. It crashed into a utility pole, causing damage to Pepco equipment. A bike crossing signal was toppled, and the Bethesda Urban Partnership information kiosk was sent flying, scattering visitor brochures over the sidewalk and Purple Line construction entrance.

Pepco is on-scene to make repairs to their equipment. Airbags deployed on the SUV, but Montgomery County police say there are no injuries to report from the crash at this time. Police advise avoiding the intersection for now, as Bethesda Avenue is closed between Woodmont and Wisconsin Avenue for cleanup and accident investigation.

Bike crossing signal toppled

Brochures scattered around the damaged
Bethesda Urban Partnership kiosk

Icy conditions on Bethesda Avenue (Video+Photo)

There appears to be a water main break near the intersection of Wisconsin Avenue and Bethesda Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Water is running down Bethesda Avenue, and freezing as ice on the roadway between Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenues. Use caution or detour around this area if you can.

Capital Crescent surface trail goes green by Bethesda Row (Photos)

People transitioning from cars to bikes is supposed to be "green." The new protected bike lane on Bethesda Avenue is really green, though. Montgomery County workers yesterday applied a new green surface to the bike lane, which is also a leg of the Capital Crescent surface trail that was meant to replace the shuttered Capital Crescent Trail east of Bethesda Avenue during Purple Line construction. Of course, this being Montgomery County, the surface route will probably be complete about the same time as the Purple Line is finished.

Car stolen on Bethesda Avenue

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a stolen car on Bethesda Avenue on Monday evening. The vehicle was parked along the street in the 4700 block of Bethesda Avenue, and was reported stolen around 7:10 PM, according to crime data.

Bethesda Avenue resurfacing project underway

Bethesda Avenue is one of several downtown streets that have been battered by heavy construction equipment in recent years. At least this street is now getting a smoother surface, but is in the rough milling phase first. If you have a new or expensive vehicle, you may want to choose an alternate route to the parking garages for a few days.

When Fritos were made in downtown Bethesda (Photos)

The Bethesda Avenue corridor along Bethesda Row has some of the most expensive real estate in the region. It's hard to imagine it was once an industrial area with a freight railroad running through the middle of it. One of the most famous tenants of that industrial era was a local Frito franchisee called the Capitol Frito Company, located at 4860 Bethesda Avenue. The Apple Store stands on that spot today.

Capitol Frito Company was only the second franchisee outside of Texas allowed to manufacture and distribute Fritos and other chip products of the Dallas-based Frito Company. Can you guess who was the first franchisee? A little enterprise called H.W. Lay & Company, which later merged into the giant Frito-Lay company we know today.

Capitol Frito would have been making Fritos, Cheetos and Ruffles chips, all brands we still have today. But one of the newspaper ads shown here from December 1953 shows a new snack launching called Jupiter Potato Chips.

You could even write to Capitol Frito Company to get a free recipe booklet. It included delightful meals like the one you can still make today from the 1949 newspaper ad shown here, Baked Eggs with Fritos. Don't forget that Fritos are "delicious with creamed dishes." And remain "the perfect beverage companion."

The incredible, disappearing Bethesda Avenue crosswalk

Dangerous current condition of
the crosswalk in front of
The Seasons

The Invisible Man hasn't even hit theaters yet, and he already has competition from this crosswalk in front of The Seasons apartment tower on Bethesda Avenue. It's not the first time the crosswalk has faded without maintenance.

Montgomery County Council's
2020 walk of shame

The Council can't maintain crosswalks,
but they did have time this week to weigh
in on DC statehood

In 2015, the crosswalk virtually vanished, and was finally repainted and restored in 2017. Perhaps if the Montgomery County Council could set aside their War on Cars campaign for their developer sugar daddies, they could actually improve pedestrian safety through novel ideas like...actual crosswalks. Heckuva job, Brownie!

Crosswalk in 2014

Entirely faded in 2016

Restored in 2017

Lane, road closures scheduled for SB Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda Ave. on September 14, 15, 21

The Maryland State Highway Administration has posted a digital sign announcing "SB Lane" of Wisconsin Avenue will be closed from 9:00 PM on September 14, 2019 to 9:00 AM September 15, 2019. It is placed by the Air Rights Building (a.k.a. Bethesda Crossing).

There are three southbound lanes of Wisconsin Avenue, one of which is already closed by 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, so this either means a second southbound lane will close as well, or the entire southbound side. But adding the word "lane" negates a total closure, which would just be "southbound Wisconsin."

Unfortunately, the SHA is not providing such details, nor the precise starting and ending points of the "SB Lane" closure. Perhaps SHA should spend less time on local politics, and more time getting their sign messages correct.

It would be best to just detour around this using Woodmont Avenue during the closure period.

A second sign placed along Wisconsin north of Elm Street on Tuesday states that Bethesda Avenue will be closed on September 14, 2019 and again on September 21, 2019.

Sidewalk reopens in front of Ourisman Honda on Bethesda Avenue

The sidewalk on Bethesda Avenue in front of Ourisman Honda has reopened. Pedestrians are not being redirected onto the temporary path created on Ourisman's property at this time. The closures of parts of the Capital Crescent Trail and nearby sidewalks are related to trail improvements being made by the dealership as a settlement with Montgomery County, after it constructed an addition that extended onto public rights-of-way along the trail.

Honest Tea celebrates 20 years in Bethesda (Photos)

It may not seem like it, but Honest Tea has been around for two decades as of this month. The 4827 Bethesda Avenue-based company is celebrating its 20th anniversary, and despite hitting the big time via a partnership with Coca-Cola, people all over the world still see their Bethesda address on each bottle. Honest Tea was launched in co-founder and "TeaEO" Seth Goldman's house on February 2, 1998, less than one mile from their corporate office.

Bethesda Avenue resurfacing begins...but cars get in the way (Photos)

Flagman directs traffic,
as a police officer discusses
what to do with ownerless
Zipcars left on the street

Resurfacing of Bethesda Avenue between Arlington Road and Woodmont Avenue got started a week late last night, and it was a rough start indeed. A crew arrived expecting to get started, only to find expensive Porsches and Mercedes Benzes parked along the street despite parking meter covers warning of nighttime road work.

Zipcars posed a dilemma for
road workers needing to clear
the street

An additional problem was posed by ownerless Zipcars parked in front of Barnes and Noble. A worker conferred for some time with a Montgomery County police officer about how to handle the situation. Not willing to wait all night, men began to cut at the road with a massive saw.

Porsche

Mercedes Benz - look at the condition
of that road: terrible for such a
high-end shopping district