Tuckerman Lane road diet canceled in Bethesda

The Little Falls Parkway "temporary" road diet persists, but the Montgomery County Department of Transportation has announced it is scrapping a proposed slimdown for Tuckerman Lane in Bethesda. Instead, it will implement smaller safety measures including raised crosswalks, speed bumps 300 feet prior to crosswalks, flexposts at crossings and "curbside," and addition of LED lighting. MCDOT expects to install these by the end of this summer.

There are a few notable differences between the two road diets. First, this one was under the direction of MCDOT, and it has apparently responded to strong public opposition to the Tuckerman Lane road diet. By contrast, the Little Falls Parkway road diet was implemented (illegally) by the Montgomery Parks department, which is continuing to ignore public opposition, the law - and even the opposition of the County Executive and the area's County Councilmember - to keep steamrolling ahead with a 2-lane parkway between Dorset Avenue and Arlington Road, the public who pays their salaries be damned. 

Unlike MCDOT, Montgomery Parks is not a traffic engineering agency of the government. "I'm not a traffic engineer, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night."

Road diet proposed for Tuckerman Lane in Bethesda

Montgomery County has proposed a road diet for Tuckerman Lane in Bethesda. The plan would reduce the road to one lane in each direction between Old Georgetown Road and Rockville Pike (MD 355). Montgomery County's Department of Transportation will hold a virtual public meeting on the road diet proposal on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 at 3:30 PM, a very unusual time for a meeting. 

Make your feelings known at this meeting. To enter the meeting, use the link on the project page. You can also see the full blueprints for the new road configuration there. The County says the proposed road diet is part of its Vision Zero effort to eliminate road fatalities.

AUTO BREAK-INS IN GROSVENOR/STRATHMORE/CEDARWOOD AREA OF BETHESDA - CRIME UPDATE

An alarming number of crimes took place Thursday in the general vicinity of Grosvenor, Strathmore and the Cedarwood area off Tuckerman Lane. 5 vehicles were broken into, and an arrest on narcotics offenses was made on Luxberry Court, in that same vicinity. It is unknown if that arrest is related to the nearby vehicle burglaries.

If you live in that area, make sure your vehicle is locked, and that all valuables have been removed from the cabin. Check vehicles you haven't used since last Thursday for signs of burglary, or for missing property. And report any suspicious activity or vehicles to the Montgomery County Police.

Here's a roundup of crimes reported across Bethesda on March 20, according to crime data:

Theft. 6900 block Arlington Road.

Drug arrest. 5200 block Pooks Hill Road.

Vehicle burglary. 5300 block King Charles Way (Grosvenor area).

Vehicle burglary. 5300 block King Charles Way (Grosvenor area).

Vehicle burglary. 5900 block Barbados Place (off Tuckerman Lane).

Vehicle burglary. 5900 block Barbados Place (off Tuckerman Lane).

Vehicle burglary. 10900 block Brewer House Road (off Tuckerman Lane).

Drug arrest. XX block Luxberry Court (off Tuckerman Lane).

WSSC CONTRACTOR SEEKS PERMIT TO RELEASE MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF GROUND AND WASH WATER INTO BETHESDA STREAM

Bethesda's Old Farm Creek, a tributary of Cabin John Creek and the Potomac River, is one of 2 local waterways scheduled to carry over 3.6 million gallons of groundwater per day during a WSSC tunnel construction project.

A WSSC contractor has applied to the Maryland Department of the Environment for a discharge permit to allow this during construction of the Bi-County Water Tunnel along Tuckerman Lane in Bethesda.

Water flows will also contain 5000 gallons per day of equipment washwater, to be discharged into Old Farm Creek near Tuckerman, and Rock Creek near Kensington Parkway.

The Old Farm discharge site lies between Cabin John shopping center and Westfield Montgomery Mall near Tuckerman Lane.  A prominent channel passes beneath Tuckerman in that area.

Should you wish to request a public meeting to be held regarding this matter, you can mail a written request to:

MDE: Water Management Administration, 1800 Washington Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21230-1708
Attn: Mr. Michael Richardson

Hurry - it must be received by May 16, 2013.

You can arrange to review the application in person, by calling Richardson at 410-537-3323 to schedule an appointment.

WSSC DRILL REACHES TARGET 13 STORIES BENEATH BETHESDA (VIDEO/PHOTO)

13 stories beneath Bethesda, at Tuckerman Lane and I-270, a WSSC drill "holed through" into a vertical shaft 5 miles from its starting point.

The moment was captured by WSSC on video last Friday afternoon. It was one target reached in a massive tunneling project beneath Bethesda, to add water system capacity for Montgomery and Prince George's counties.

Photo: WSSC

BETHESDA CRIME SPIKE IN GROSVENOR AREA

Residents in the Grosvenor area should be aware of increased crime activity there over the last few days.

3 of the 4 crimes occurred at or near apartment complexes; the fourth took place on Hatherleigh Drive, a residential street of single family homes off Grosvenor Lane.

Buildings along the affected blocks include The Jefferson at Inigo's Crossing, and Archstone Grosvenor Tower. There is no specific information to confirm at which complexes, if any, these crimes occurred.

Until the police report further details, this is a good reminder to keep doors locked, stay aware of your surroundings, and to report suspicious activity or vehicles to police.

Here is the full list of crimes:

December 8:

Theft. 10200 block of Grosvenor Place.

Burglary. 10200 block of Hatherleigh Drive.

December 9:

Theft of vehicle. 10300 block of Grosvenor Place.

December 10:

Theft. 5400 block of Tuckerman Lane.