New Metro pylon installed at Bethesda Metro station (Photos)

Transit agency WMATA has begun installing new Metro pylons at the Bethesda Metro station. This one is on Woodmont Avenue. The primary change is the use of a colored circle to designate the Metro line(s) that operate through each station. Letters - in this case, "RD" for Red Line (not Robert Dyer) - have been placed inside the circle for riders who are color blind. I have posted a photo of the classic stripe design below for comparison purposes. The new design is - like most changes WMATA has made over the last decade - a step down in aesthetics, though not as glaring as the operating room-esque lighting that has wrecked the dramatic original lighting effect inside stations. Surprised and relieved they didn't drop the classic brown for lemon yellow, at this point. Nuts!

Old design, for comparison

WMATA replacing Metrobus signs in Bethesda (Photos)

Washington, D.C. regional transit authority WMATA is now in the process of replacing Metrobus signs throughout Montgomery County, including the ones you see here in Bethesda and Silver Spring. The new signs sport the new route designations for Metrobus lines. Every Metrobus route in Montgomery County will now be an "M" route, instead of T, Q, or J, for example. The M stands for...Montgomery County.

Fairfax County routes will start with an "F." Prince George's County gets "P." Arlington and Alexandria have to share "A." D.C. routes will be "D" for downtown, or "C" for crosstown. Express routes will start with an "X."

It seems the famously-impoverished WMATA that is always extending its hat for Oliver Twist's proverbial "more" is suddenly flush with cash it doesn't know what to do with. That has spurred it to go in search of a solution in search of a problem. Nobody was confused about the existing route numbers; they're going to be really confused by the new route numbers. 

Two sets of new bus stop signs will be manufactured - one temporary, and one permanent after June 29, the day of the official switchover. The cost of replacing all of the signage is massive, and is being drawn from WMATA's Better Bus Network budget. A "better" use of our tax money is to refund the amount being spent on the name changes to the taxpayers of the D.C. region.

Turns out, WMATA is "really, really rich"

Downtown Bethesda J2 bus stop to be removed by WMATA

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!

Trump Metro farecard sells out in Montgomery County

Democrats may hold every elected office in Montgomery County, but a collectible Inauguration of Donald Trump Metro farecard sold like hotcakes at its subway stations last week. By Saturday, the Trump SmarTrip cards had sold out at every station selling them within Montgomery County. WMATA has now announced that the Trump card has sold out at all D.C.-area Metro stations, but the transit agency will make a limited new batch of them available at the Metro Center station on Monday, Inauguration Day - again, while supplies last.

It appears most buyers intend to hold onto their cards as keepsakes, as relatively few are being listed on eBay for resale. At the time of this writing, resale prices on the site are running from $17.50 to $470. Trump grew his voter support significantly in Montgomery County in 2024, over his results in 2020 and 2016.

The President-Elect, Melania Trump, and their son Barron Trump arrived in the D.C. area last night, deplaning in total darkness, apparently for security reasons, before enjoying a fireworks display at Trump's golf club in Northern Virginia. Donald Trump must surely also be enjoying word of his farecard selling out in far-left Montgomery County. Trump places great importance on TV ratings, poll numbers, sales, and other measures of success in each of his ventures.

In remarks at the golf club, Trump gave shout-outs to Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose Amazon HQ2 is located in Northern Virginia. Tenor Christopher Macchio performed the aria "Nessun Dorma," which always generates a buzz on social media when Trump requests it, due to its use in the climactic scene of the political conspiracy film The Sum of All Fears.

Donald Trump inauguration commemorative farecards available at select Metro stations

Tech moguls aren't the only ones changing their tune on Donald Trump. Regional transit agency WMATA boldly refused to issue a commemorative farecard for Trump's first inauguration in January 2017. Riders who had purchased a Barack Obama farecard in previous years were surprised to learn no such collector's item would be available for Trump, but the dominance of the Democratic party in the region limited the fallout for WMATA. But, lo and behold, the agency has issued a commemorative SmarTrip farecard for Trump's second inauguration, and it is available at select Metro stations.

None of the stations are in Bethesda, however. The Trump SmarTrip card is now available in Montgomery County at the Shady Grove, Forest Glen, and Glenmont Metro stations. Riders heading into D.C. on the Red Line can also find them at the L'Enfant Plaza, Metro Center, and Union Station Metro stations. Signage will indicate the machine from which the Trump card can be purchased. The cards are available "while supplies last," WMATA says.

Photo courtesy WMATA

Bethesda Metro station 40th anniversary celebration this Sunday, Aug. 25

The Bethesda Historical Society will mark one of the greatest moments in Bethesda history this Sunday, August 25, 2024 from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on the Bethesda Metro Center plaza. It will have been exactly 40 years ago Sunday that the Metro subway system officially arrived in downtown Bethesda with the opening of the Bethesda Metro station. A time of tremendous excitement, the redevelopment of the site that became the Metro Center also brought an upheaval and departure of beloved businesses and old architecture. 

The Metro Center redevelopment did deliver modern office buildings and a hotel that are still impressive today. There was even a Burger King for a time! And the Metro Center plaza became a central gathering space for downtown Bethesda, with its ice rink, Christmas tree, and July 4th firework displays. All of those seasonal features are gone now, as the center of activity drifted over to the newer Bethesda Row development this century. The plaza fountains still provide an oasis of respite in the Central Business District.

It's hard to imagine today how exciting it was to ride the Metro subway for the first time in the 1980s. The system's stations were the design envy of the world. Some of that original aesthetic and vision has been lost with recent attempts to brighten surfaces and wreck the dramatic lighting. Suffice it to say, there is little appreciation of Brutalism (or great architecture, for that matter) among those who now dominate regional decisionmaking.

Sunday's event will feature historical exhibits, music, and family activities. There will be special remarks delivered at 12:15 PM. The event is co-sponsored by the Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, the Greater Bethesda Chamber of Commerce, transit agency WMATA, and the KID Museum. 

Montgomery County Council cuts Elrich out of picture on life science project launch

Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich joined WMATA General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke and elected officials at the North Bethesda Metro station yesterday to formally launch the search for a developer to build a Life Science Center at the transit stop. But you wouldn't know this from watching the Montgomery County Council's video on the press conference. Elrich's speech was completely omitted from the Council report, which included excerpts from comments by Clarke, Council President Andrew Friedson, and even U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen. The snub was particularly notable, as Elrich has been the main driver of the Life Science Center from its inception.

If it were up to the Council alone, the site adjacent to the Metro station would have been yet another residential housing development. Elrich was the rare County elected official to acknowledge that MoCo needs more high-wage jobs as much as it does new housing, when he proposed the biotech use for this site several years ago. Yet the Council attempted to take all the credit for itself in its Monday video, similar to Congresspeople who vote against infrastructure projects in their districts, only to later claim credit for them once they come to fruition.

The attempt to cut Elrich out of the launch announcement was only the latest cheap shot by the Council at the Executive. Some on the Council resorted to subterfuge and outright deception in their successful effort to deep-six Elrich's proposal to restore funding for the Office of the People's Counsel. Councilmembers are still pondering whether to create a competing ballot question for the one that will give voters the option to oust Elrich with a two-term limit in the November election. Perhaps they are weighing the possibility of opening the executive seat to one of the ambitious Councilmembers, versus reducing their own future executive terms by one. 

Assault at Bethesda Metro station

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at the Bethesda Metro station during the early Monday morning rush hour. The assault was reported at the station at 5:45 AM on Monday, March 18, 2024. It was the second assault reported to police in a public area of the central business district in 48 hours. The first took place Saturday afternoon at the Woodmont Corner garage, which is two blocks from the Metro station.

WMATA puts Bethesda-Chevy Chase to Rockville T2 Metrobus route on chopping block

A major bus route connecting the Friendship Heights and Rockville Metro stations is among 67 Metrobus lines WMATA is proposing to eliminate under its "doomsday" budget. The T2 Metrobus travels along the River Road and Falls Road corridors, most of which lack proximity to Metro subway service. If you want to connect to Metrorail beyond the Westbard and West End areas of Bethesda and Rockville, respectively, the T2 can be either one of the few options or the only option to reach a Metro station. 

The T2 is also useful for reaching the judicial and government centers of Montgomery County in Rockville Town Center, as well as Amtrak and MARC service via the Rockville Metro station. WMATA's strategy is not novel, however. Governments and transit agencies often release doomsday budgets prior to asking taxpayers to shell out more to avoid the painful cuts proposed. 

First project at Strathmore Square development tops out in Bethesda (Photos)

The first residential project at the future Strathmore Square development at the Grosvenor Metro station in Bethesda has topped out. When completed in early 2024, the buildings will hold 220 rental apartments and 9000-square-feet of retail and restaurant space. Amenities will include an outdoor pool deck, a state-of-the-art gym, a rejuvenating sauna, and a treatment room, along with additional common areas. Five Squares and WMATA are the developers of the project, Deborah Berke Partners is the architecture firm, and Whiting-Turner is the lead construction contractor.

Elm Street gantry crane construction update (Photos)

Assembly of a gantry crane for the construction of the new south entrance to the Bethesda Metro station continues on Elm Street. In addition to the framelike structure, you can now see part of the actual crane machinery has been installed. The Metro station platform is 120' below street level, and space is constrained between the 7200 Wisconsin property and the Hampden House construction site across Elm Street. I believe this is the first time this type of crane has been utilized in Bethesda.

Montgomery County Metro ridership up 94.6% year-over-year

Montgomery County commuters have been returning to the Metro subway system in force in recent months, according to the latest data from WMATA, the D.C.-area transportation authority that operates it. Ridership in January 2023, the most recent month for which data has been made public, was up 94.6% over January 2022. Pandemic-era data released by Google in 2020-2022 had shown much weaker ridership, and a turtle-like pace of increasing return to the system after the initial lockdown of 2020.

A Red Line train approaches the
Rockville station

The biggest surges, 296.6% at Shady Grove and 263.6% at Rockville, may have had more to do with maintenance-related closures at those stops over the last two years. Grosvenor-Strathmore was the next-highest, with an increase of 140.5%. Twinbrook had the smallest increase at 8.7%. WMATA's numbers are based upon the number of entries and exits recorded at each station, so they do not count gate jumpers, only paying customers.

Bethesda Metro station elevators near Hyatt Regency out-of-service for "remodeling"

The Bethesda Metro station elevators outside of the Hyatt Regency Bethesda hotel are currently out-of-service. According to a sign posted between them, they are closed for "remodeling." Signs direct bus and subway riders to use the elevator around the corner at Wisconsin Avenue and Montgomery Lane, near the historic Bethesda Post Office building. No date is given for restoration of service for these elevators.

New staircase opens at Bethesda Metro station (Photos)

The new staircase between the plaza and bus bay levels at the Bethesda Metro station has opened. A conversion of an often-out-of-service escalator to a wider staircase, WMATA managed to complete the project several days ahead of the projected December 31, 2022 delivery date. As you can see, the staircase has been well-lit for security and safety reasons. The gleaming new stairs and railings almost look out of place with the older concrete and infrastructure around them.

Bethesda Metro Center escalator-to-staircase conversion nearing completion (Photos)

 The conversion of the plaza-to-bus-bays escalator at the Bethesda Metro Center is now nearing completion. Handrails have been installed. WMATA's choice to remove the escalator and replace it with a wider staircase was largely driven by cost savings, as continued use of the escalator would have required installation of a canopy, without which the elements were damaging the often out-of-service escalator. The agency has now set December 31, 2022 as the date of completion for the project.

Bethesda Metro Center escalator-to-staircase conversion update (Photos)

The new staircase connecting the plaza level with the bus bays at the Bethesda Metro Center is finally starting to take its finished form. WMATA removed an escalator connecting the two levels earlier this year. Without a canopy to protect the escalator from weather, it broke down often. The target date for completion of this project is December 31, but it looks like they may finish ahead of schedule.