All elevators go out of service at Metropolitan public parking garage in Bethesda

Old Georgetown Road Metropolitan
Public Parking Garage 49 elevators frozen
Thursday night, completely shutting down
all elevator access to and from the 
Montgomery County-owned public parking garage

UPDATE - 9:05 AM: All elevators are still out of service this morning. 

It's incredible enough that one bank of elevators at the Montgomery County-owned Metropolitan Public Parking Garage 49 in Bethesda have been out of service for over four years. But last night, a reader reports, all elevators were out of commission. No signs were posted explaining the outage. The garage is now fully out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Two sets of Montgomery County Councilmembers have banned things and raised taxes over these four years, but haven't moved a muscle to restore elevator service and ADA compliance at this garage under their oversight.

Montgomery Mall replacing push-button electric doors with touchless system

Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda has begun replacing its electric entry door systems for the disabled with a new, touchless system. There is no longer a need to push a physical button. However, there is a motion sensor that takes the button's place. 

Touchless doors are not only easier to operate, but also a nod to germ-spreading concerns in the pandemic age. It seems to me that every major national chain business should have electric doors at this point, as CVS Pharmacy and most chain grocery stores do, but they are obviously more expensive to maintain than a manual door.

7001 ARLINGTON ROAD LUXURY APARTMENTS BETHESDA CONSTRUCTION UPDATE (PHOTOS)

Construction continues slowly but surely on the former site of the Bethesda Post Office, at 7001 Arlington Road. Formerly known as Dwell Bethesda, the luxury apartment building is, for now, known simply as 7001 Arlington Road. Questions regarding local elected officials' involvement (or lack thereof) in the selection of the new post office, at 6900 Wisconsin Avenue, remain unanswered.

Just last week, I was informed of a disabled post office patron who required the assistance of a Good Samaritan to successfully mail letters, due to the lack of handicapped parking at 6900. Handicapped parking in a nearby garage is simply no substitute for truly functional spaces near the front door of the post office. Some two decades after the Americans with Disabilities Act, all citizens have a right to expect equal access to public facilities. 

The United States Postal Service has yet to publicly announce a location for a second Bethesda post office it plans to open. But let's go ahead and check out the progress of construction crews at the much-missed former post office site:

AFTER MONTHS OF DELAY, SHA RESUMES WORK ON WISCONSIN AVENUE SIDEWALKS IN BETHESDA (PHOTOS)

One of the biggest complaint-generators in downtown Bethesda this year, has been the Maryland State Highway Administration's bizarre habit of tearing up sidewalks, and then abandoning the mess for months.

It has been a disgrace and embarrassment to leave Bethesda's "main drag," Wisconsin Avenue, in such reprehensible condition. And a tremendous danger to pedestrians.

Finally, SHA contractors are back on site, hopefully to finish the job this time.

MYSTERY BETHESDA SIDEWALK REPAIRS REVEALED!

It turns out that all of the destruction and repairs to the sidewalks at Fairmont and Wisconsin Avenues is just to install one of those ADA squares with the little bumps, as has been done elsewhere in downtown Bethesda.

As you can see, much progress had been made by the time this photo was taken, but it's still a mess.  I never realized so much of the sidewalk had to be torn up to install those.  It's like taking an axe to your front door when you want to install a new doorknocker.

By the way, that's the Minute Clinic at CVS across Wisconsin Avenue.  If you are new in downtown Bethesda, and are uninsured or underinsured, note the location.  It will be your new best friend the next time you are sick.