Friday, October 17, 2025

MDSHA updating River Road bike lanes in Bethesda (Photos)


Maryland State Highway Administration contractors are updating the bike lanes along River Road between Brookside Drive and Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda. Single-lane closures will be implemented between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM, and overnight, between now and the end of October. New pavement markings and green surface paint are being applied to the lanes. Flexposts will be installed alongside the lanes.




12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enough ruining the roads!

Anonymous said...

These lanes are never ever used. I drive river rd every day. Sometimes multiple times a day. Not a sole

JAC said...

I can't wait for the dedicated bike lanes on 270. That would be about as dumb as this. So, a dedicated bike lane on River Road, near the American Plant Food, where there was a tragic accident, will prevent future and similar accidents? I don't think anyone actually belives that. I am fairly confident that even the most avid street cyclists are not going to include this stretch of road to their route. Lastly, why on earth do we need bike lanes that run directly across from one of the most successful Rails to Trails projects in the country?

Anonymous said...

As such, it will be virtually impossible to make safe right turns into the numerous gas stations and the other business on that busy section!

JAC said...

9:59 - Precisely. I said dumb but you're essentially saying dangerous which is a better word to describe this.

JAC said...

Yet another knee jerk reaction to a death while tragic. Bike lanes on River Road. Who ever thought in their wildest we'd be reading that? Here's the crazy thing. They went up because of a single accident that resulted in death but it was in fact an accident meaning unintentional. But when there's another incident, as a result of these lanes being installed, they will never rip them out and that's nuts. Such is the MoCo Council.

Anonymous said...

The MDSHA is a real trip. I made an online Service Request to trim back the shrubbery at an intersection, citing visibility hazards to turning vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians alike. A week later, I received a closure notice but zero work was performed!

Anonymous said...

The bike lanes nobody uses?? THOSE bike lanes??

Anonymous said...

Recipe for disaster. I've found bicyclists don't obey basic traffic signals like stop signs on the Crescent trail. Having them out on River Road is a bad idea.

JAC said...

3:34 - Sadly, someone has to die first. Remember one of the incidents on Old Geo'twn road, where the shrubbery blocked the sidewalk? Yes, that's correct, it was the county's fault that it was overgrown and impassible which was a significant and contributing factor to the accident on the bicycle where the cyclist was killed. What did they do? In the cover of night, a crew was trimming that entire area and by morning it was 100% clear. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Or deadicated bike lanes on the ICC!

Anonymous said...

Touche`... Even s a former regular user of the Crescent Trail on my Gary Fisher Mtn bike, I can form the strong opinion that every time a cyclist dies on a Bethesda road, those in charge are too quick to overreact, going back to that recumbent cyclist who got hit while in the crosswalk, then the kid who got hit by a car on #187 because he had to veer off of the sidewalk to avoid the huge sand barrel container, then the woman riding on the side of the road who got hit on River Road by a garbage truck. All unfortunate and very sad, but in no way shape or form were the construction responses warranted.