WMATA will remove one of the stops for the Metrobus J2 route in downtown Bethesda this summer. As of Sunday, June 29, 2025, the J2 will no longer service the bus stop at 8008 Wisconsin Avenue (southbound MD 355). WMATA says the stop is being removed as part of a larger service overhaul to make bus travel "faster and more reliable" across the Washington, D.C. region.
Some might say, "Good riddance." Situated in front of long-abandoned vacant storefronts, this stop is - frankly - pretty scary for someone traveling by themselves to wait at. The vacant commercial property has been in development hell for about a decade, as the 8008 Wisconsin and Artena Bethesda projects have remained mired in delays. Vagrant intruders and vandals have predictably been drawn to the property, creating a public safety hazard and an eyesore on Bethesda's "Main Street."
Ironically, the original 8008 Wisconsin developer was prepared to move forward until the Montgomery County Council intervened, and insisted the developer hand over part of the land for a future bus rapid transit station. Bogged down by the extended negotiations over the compensation for the taking, the project fell through. Heckuva job, Brownie!
14 comments:
It is sad, coming into the little two lobes of Bethesda one has to endure large swaths of decrepit Wisconsin Ave or the equally distasteful (PG County like) River Road.
So true. We agree. This land should absolutely be used for public housing...something that we lack so much in Bethesda.
That block has been languishing for at least a decade, maybe more (?). I do see people waiting for the bus at that stop whenever I walk by there (not sitting around). Is it being moved up or down that side of Wisconsin?
It should be criminal to leave an entire block vacant and dilapidated for a decade.
There is very little in the county's "Bethesda Plan" about quality of life issues like this.
Removing the stop is a desperate gesture to reduce muggings.
Yes, landowners should be forced at gunpoint to develop sites like this, even if they loose money, and go out of business.
Seriously, I just wish vacant derelict buildings would be removed and replaced with no-mow grasses and wild flowers, and maintained as temporary privately owned public space.
The Master Plan is to convert Bethesda into another Silver Spring!
7:56pm Landowners aren't operating in a vacuum. There is at least a pretense that the community is a stakeholder in these projects. Projects needed to be approved.
There should be more community pushback on leaving an entire square city block vacant and dilapidated for over a decade.
"This stop is - frankly - pretty scary for someone traveling by themselves to wait at. "
Oh, please. It is just a fraction of a block - 200 feet - with the thriving Trader Joe's and Orange Theory immediately adjacent.
This is as ridiculous as claiming not to be able to follow a speed limit without constantly riding your brake pedal.
Not to mention the public parking lot they closed a year ago in anticipation of construction. Lost revenue. I did see a crew out there this week working on the Clark Construction sign. I was thinking they were removing but no they replaced with a new one as the other one had faded over the past year. That is the extend of the progress. Ridiculous.
As a 17 year old BITD, I purchased my first folding Buck knife #110 at SS right in front of that bus stop sign, nowadays it's advisable to have same on your person just waiting at that stop.
9:19: Wrong on both counts. The bus stop is out of sight of Trader Joe's, and Orangetheory isn't even on the Wisconsin side. It is in front of half-a-block of vacant storefronts, inside of which often lurk vagrants.
Second, anyone who has driven on a road with an incorrect speed limit for the street's design - River Road, Wisconsin Avenue in downtown Bethesda, MacArthur Boulevard, to name a few - is very familiar with the need for constant braking, as all three are designed for a vehicle to operate at a significantly-faster speed. They can tell you that the 25 MPH speed limit, as a result, feels like 5 MPH to the driver.
They will need to tell you because, once again, it's clear you've never driven a car before.
Somewhat ironic that they want to discontinue the bus stop at that corner. Several years ago, redevelopment of the property at that location was negatively impacted by the county requirement that the developer cede some land at that very corner for creation of a Bus Rapid Transit stop.
Lol, 12:12, me too! I remember I saved the 14.50 it cost!
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