Overnight utility work on Cordell Ave. in Bethesda

Cordell Avenue was closed to traffic at Norfolk Avenue in downtown Bethesda overnight. A utility crew was digging up the road near Pines of Rome. It was unclear which utility's contractor this was, or whether the work was planned or the result of an emergency. The block in question is between Norfolk and Old Georgetown Road.

WSSC repairs damage to Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda (Video + Photos)

Water utility WSSC led a major repair effort overnight in Bethesda, to get Wisconsin Avenue back into shape between Old Georgetown Road and Montgomery Avenue. The roadway was damaged by a water main break on Monday. WSSC removed the damaged section of 8' pipe from below the street yesterday, and then made preparations to resurface the road. A WSSC crew, contractors, and the Maryland State Highway Administration were all on the scene Tuesday night into this morning, resurfacing the street in front of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel. 

Resurfacing project begins on Bradley Boulevard in Bethesda (Photos)

A Maryland State Highway Administration contractor has begun a resurfacing project on Bradley Boulevard (MD 191) in Bethesda. The work area will run from 6421 Bradley Boulevard to Bradmoor Drive, and resurface both directions of the road. Work hours will be 8:00 PM to 5:00 AM, Monday through Friday. The project is expected to be completed by mid-September, if the weather cooperates.

Nighttime work ahead for Purple Line in Bethesda, Chevy Chase

Additional overnight work hours may be needed this summer for the Purple Line light rail project between Bethesda and New Carrollton. The Maryland Transit Administration advises that some work may need to take place between 5:00 AM and 7:00 AM, or during the overnight hours. Areas impacted within Montgomery County include Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Lyttonsville, Silver Spring, and Long Branch. Concrete pours in particular may need to occur in the cooler hours after dark. "Hot weather can cause issues while placing concrete due to rapid curing that can occur at higher ambient temperatures," the MTA said in a statement. "Crews will prioritize the noisiest work to the daytime shifts."

Tower crane installation on former Exxon site in Bethesda scheduled for April 13, 2024

A contractor for developer Greystar's apartment tower project at 7340 Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda is expecting to erect a tower crane on the site on April 13, 2024, weather permitting. To assemble the massive crane, a smaller crane will be brought in that day around 2:00 AM. The smaller crane will be positioned on Montgomery Lane between Woodmont Avenue and Wisconsin Avenue, requiring that street to be temporarily shut down. Work, and removal of the assisting crane from Montgomery Lane, are anticipated to be complete by 9:00 PM that evening - - if all goes according to plan.

The contractor has requested a nighttime noise waiver from Montgomery County for the work. Should inclement weather interfere, the assembly will be postponed to a rain date to be determined. 7340 Wisconsin was previously occupied by an Exxon gas station, which has been demolished amid site preparation.

Purple Line night deliveries ahead in Bethesda

To build a light rail system, you need rail. Starting tonight, March 28, 2024, that rail will begin to be delivered to the Purple Line construction site off of Montgomery Avenue in downtown Bethesda. Between the hours of 7:00 PM and 5:00 AM, trucks will haul standard gauge rail to the site. It will be unloaded from the trucks during the night. However, actual installation of the rail onto the trackbed will take place during daytime hours. Rail deliveries into downtown Bethesda will continue for about four weeks, the Maryland Transit Administration said in an announcement yesterday.

Road closure ahead tonight near Solaire 7607 Old Georgetown Road apartment tower in Bethesda

Mobile crane operations will halt all traffic on Old Georgetown Road between Wisconsin and Woodmont Avenues in Bethesda starting tonight, June 9, 2023 at 10:00 PM until 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 11. The work is being done at the Solaire 7607 Old Georgetown Road apartment tower. Watch for flagmen directing traffic to a detour. Should inclement weather disrupt the planned work, it will be rescheduled to start on Saturday. The contractor has promised to reduce nighttime noise as much as possible for residents in nearby buildings. Keep a pair of earplugs handy just in case...

MD 355 resurfacing project begins near Pooks Hill in Bethesda (Photos)

Maryland State Highway Administration contractors have begun a resurfacing project on Rockville Pike (MD 355) north of downtown Bethesda. The nighttime work is currently taking place in the Pooks Hill area near Pooks Hill Road and Alta Vista Road. Last night, all lanes were closed except one. This follows a similar project last year on Old Georgetown Road. So if you want to avoid dings in your car's finish, you'll want to take Old Georgetown between Bethesda and Rockville, instead of Rockville Pike, for the near future.

Utility work at Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda (Photos)

Nighttime utility work closed a lane of Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue where they intersect in downtown Bethesda overnight. A utility crew was working under the street there.

Washington Gas project to close EB lane of River Road near DC line in Bethesda starting Oct. 15

Expect traffic delays on inbound River Road near the D.C. line in Bethesda starting on October 15, 2022, and lasting approximately 4-6 weeks. Washington Gas will be replacing a natural gas valve located under the eastbound lanes of River Road between Brookdale Road and Western Avenue. Work on the project will take place Mondays-Saturdays from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, which will likely have a significant impact on morning rush hour traffic, as only one of the inbound lanes will remain open on that stretch.

Washington Gas has also requested a noise waiver from Montgomery County, as work will be around the clock in the final 1-3 days of the project in late November. Residents along the work area can expect the project to be noisy at times. Access to all bus stops on River is expected to be maintained throughout the project. The project timeline could be impacted by weather conditions.

Nighttime utility work ahead at intersection of River and Ridgefield Rds. in Bethesda

Be prepared for nighttime utility work starting Tuesday, May 31 until Wednesday, July 1, 2022 at the intersection of River Road and Ridgefield Road in Bethesda. Temporary lane closures will be necessary at times during the work; watch for flagmen directing traffic. The work will be done between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM each night to avoid traffic issues during daytime hours, and will take four weeks to complete, weather permitting. That location is very close to homes in Kenwood, but the contractor is promising to mitigate the noise as much as possible.

Utility work at Bradley Boulevard and Arlington Road (Photos)

A utility crew is working over the night on Bradley Boulevard at Arlington Road in downtown Bethesda. There is a minor amount of standing water at the intersection. The work is in the actual intersection right now, and you'll probably want to detour around it.

Even more utility work ahead in Bethesda

The utility projects on streets in downtown Bethesda just keep on coming. Watch out for lane closures in the 6800 block of Wisconsin Avenue, near Stanford Road, 9:00 PM - 5:00 AM Sundays-Thursdays starting tomorrow night, Sunday, March 7, 2021, and lasting through Friday, April 30. WSSC Senior Public Affairs Representative Luis Maya says nearby residents can expect "a significant increase in noise" during the nighttime work. However, Maya says they should not expect to lose water service at any time during the project.

Nighttime mystery noise in Bethesda is real (Audio/Video+Photos)

Lights from resurfacing project on
Clara Barton Parkway as seen from
MacArthur Boulevard in Glen Echo

The mysterious, low humming sound keeping some Bethesda residents awake at night is real. I've now heard it myself Friday night/Saturday morning, Monday night/Tuesday morning, and last night. I still cannot definitively confirm that the noise is coming from the resurfacing project on Clara Barton Parkway, but did find that work going on at those times. 

The problem is that the mystery noise is about as loud as resurfacing would be a block away, at a distance of a mile away from the parkway. Yes, there is quite a bit of noise from the road work audible from MacArthur Boulevard directly above it in Glen Echo. But it doesn't seem as loud there as it should be based on the volume at further-away distances, and the noise as recorded here doesn't sound the way it does far away:

Resurfacing Sunday night and early Monday morning was just east of Glen Echo Park on Clara Barton Parkway, as contractors work their way into the District by December. But I will continue investigating, in case this is coming from another source. For now, I've confirmed that, no, you aren't hearing things; the noise is real.

Mystery noise keeping some Bethesda residents up at night

Several Bethesda and D.C. residents who live near the Potomac River inside the Beltway are reporting that they hear a loud, low humming sound during the night in recent months. There have been other nighttime noise mysteries from time to time in that area since the 1980s. Some would attribute them to secret goings-on at intelligence and military facilities in Sumner or Carderock.

While we can't definitively declare the current mystery solved, there's a possibility this particular noise may not require the attention of Fox Mulder. Since late summer, National Park Service contractors have been repaving Clara Barton Parkway. This work was to begin at Carderock and work its way in towards the District line by the end of the year.

The noise described does sound consistent with that heard in the River Road corridor when it was repaved about three years ago. Long, low humming and growling noises. At a distance, or inside structures, the sound may not immediately bring roadway resurfacing to mind.

Topographical factors may enhance the noise in this case. Clara Barton Parkway runs below neighborhoods at the bottom of a steep drop-off from homes located above it along MacArthur Boulevard. So the noise is going to refract off of the higher elevations on either side of the Potomac, and in the quiet of night, be even more noticeable.

Keep the reports coming in, however, in case the Mothman of West Virginia has relocated to our suburbs.