With five days left to meet the September 30, 2023 11:59 PM deadline to reopen the street grid around Westbard Avenue in Bethesda, there are several new developments to report. The realigned Westbard and new stub section between the old and new Westbard Avenue toward Ridgefield Road are being surfaced. M. Luis, the company that did such a great job resurfacing River Road about six years ago, is the contractor.
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| Sidewalk opens in front of new Phase 1 Giant building at Westbard Square |
The sidewalk in front of the new Phase 1 Giant building at 5400 Westbard Avenue has opened for the first time. That has afforded a first zoom-lens look into the interior of the future parking garage. The first landscaping is also being installed. Patches of grass have appeared along new sidewalks, and street trees are being planted. It will be interesting to see, once the full lighting and new streetlamps are activated around the new Giant building, if there is more or less light for pedestrians walking that stretch of Westbard after dark. The huge Westwood Shopping Center parking lot was well-lit in that area in the past.
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| Touch grass! |
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| Street tree planted along new Westbard Avenue - or is it Brookside Drive? Highly-controversial! |
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| Street trees await planting |
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| A look into the future...parking garage |
10 comments:
It’s a shame that the developer was not required to move the overhead utilities underground along Westbard.
Thank you, Robert. You have been the only outlet providing updates on this project.
MCDOT and Regency both estimate the road opening to traffic in November.
I haven't heard anyone talk about a September 30th deadline, other than this blog... Everyone in Westbard is unhappy with the continuing detour plan, but it's pretty evident that Regency is doing everything they can to move the construction forward as quickly as possible, especially with Winter looming. They are desperate to get responsibility for the road turned over to MCDOT's hands before freezing weather arrives. I don't think public discontent will speed things up at this point in time. In fact, I think it can only serve to distract Regency's contractor from the task at hand.
10:44: The September 30th deadline was put forward by MCDOT and Regency last year. They said that if the neighborhood would deal with the inconvenience of a total closure of the road grid, that they would have the space and time to complete the whole project by September 2023. November 2023 was the date for delivery of the Giant building, not the road project.
I have the "receipts," namely the emails in which this September deadline was asserted. The ability to complete the project in 16 months was the entire justification given for the unprecedented road closures. Nobody was in the way of the contractor, as they had total control of the entire space. There were no weather issues, as there was no snow over the winter.
There isn't any third party to point the finger at. They're nearly out of time, and out of excuses.
I understand all of this. But I live in the epicenter of the affected area, and I don't share any sense of outrage over this. I just want the road to open as soon as possible. I never believed any of the time estimates given at the outset, because construction projects are NEVER completed on-schedule, or on-budget. It's not a surprise.
Anyways, the county has been paying plenty of attention to this part of the transportation network lately, I don't think there's anything to be gained from complaining about the missed completion date.
I'd feel differently if the road were just sitting there, with no work occurring. But every single day, it's a beehive of activity, with work moving forward all along the road.
And speaking to weather, there have been a LOT of rain days over the past year. More than normal. And roadwork generally doesn't occur on rainy days. I've spoken with the lead contractor on rainy days, and he's always pissed that they can't make progress in the rain.
There is no deadline. That's not how construction works. It is clear that the project went much faster and smoother because of the road closures. The only false promise made during this process was the detour plan, which was and continues to be a disaster. But from this point forward, the community is not served by a shoddy rush to completion. Regency and Montgomery County should take their time to make sure the road is opened properly. How about taking the time to get the road name right. How about figuring out the timing of the light(s) before opening up the residential section of the road (and is there one light or two, there was supposed to be a study before the 2nd light was installed). Too much has gone into this for details to be thrown out the window because of a fake deadline.
I agree. Really takes away from the good work that was done.
Reopening “by September” means in late August. They are already a month overdue.
I’m shocked to hear that residents who, like myself, live “in the epicenter” of the area, are nonplussed by the continued road closure. This strip of road, in spite of its diminutive length, is disproportionately critical to the traffic flow of our immediate area. There are simply no comparably convenient or expedient alternatives. Driving all around the mulberry bush down River, Little Falls, Mass, Westbard, or cutting through Cromwell Dr and Springfield to River are unsustainably clunky, time-devouring options. Trips that formerly took 1-2 minutes now take a minimum of 10-12, each way, especially considering the prohibition on left turns from Mass onto Little Falls (requiring a u-turn at the next intersection). That’s a lot to ask residents to build into their movements about the area day in and day out.
I, (along with the vast majority of my neighbors), am incredibly eager for the road to open and are tired of the added daily frustrations resulting from the closure.
Why is the road still closed? It was completed weeks ago.
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