Parking Lots 31, 31A Closed, MD 355 Lane Closures

[Howard Hartman]

Neighborhood News  Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Friendship Heights, Garrett Park, Glen Echo, North Bethesda, Potomac, Rockville and White Flint   April 10, 2012  In this issue Parking lots 31, 31A closed Lane closures on MD 355 Work on Old Georgetown Road pedestrian bridge Red flag warning Historic structure tax credits Ken Hartman is working on: Inter-generational programs at the B-CC Regional Services Center  White Flint maintenance and landscaping  April advisory board meetings Woodmont Triangle development     __________________  Quick links  Archived newsletters Organizations   Citizens Advisory Board    Bethesda Urban Partnership   Bethesda Green   Glen Echo Park    Greater B-CC Chamber of Commerce   Potomac Chamber of Commerce   Rockville Chamber of Commerce   Services    Crime reports   Meeting room rentals   Volunteer opportunities   Call 311, get it done   The Western Montgomery County Citizens Advisory Board meets at 8 pm, next Monday, April 16 at the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. County Council President Roger Berliner will discuss the council's deliberations on the capital and operating budgets, as well as other issues of significance to the county and local residents.   Note: There will be an open house on the proposed zoning code rewrite immediately prior to the advisory board meeting, from 5-8pm.   Parking lots 31, 31A closed After several delays, it's finally happened:  both of the popular surface county parking lots at the Woodmont-Bethesda avenues intersection are closed, as of today. As we wrote in a recent issue, it will be some 30 months before construction of two mixed-use buildings on those sites and the new underground parking garage are completed.      For other parking options in the interim, visit Bethesda Urban Partnership website.      Lane closures on MD 355 near Walter Reed  BRAC-related roadwork by a State Highway Administration contractor began last night, April 9, on Rockville Pike between Cedar Lane and Jones Bridge Road. The work necessitates lane closures for the duration of the project, expected to be completed by late spring.     Weeknights, crews will close up to two lanes of northbound MD 355 between 8 pm and 7 am.  Northbound single lane closures will begin at 8 pm; double lane closures will begin at 10 pm. A southbound single lane closure will begin at 9 pm.  The southbound lane will reopen by 5 am each morning.      All lanes will remain open on weekends.   Call the State Highway Administration field office for more information, at 301-907-7408.    Work begins soon to rehabilitate pedestrian bridge over Old Georgetown Road    On April 16, the county's transportation department will begin an eight-month project to rehabilitate the 90-foot pedestrian bridge in Bethesda between Woodmont Avenue and Edgemoore Lane-Commerce Lane. The project involves structural modifications and completely cleaning and painting the bridge.    Work will take place Mondays through Fridays, 7 am-5 pm. However, there will be a single lane closure all day, seven days a week, for the duration of the project.    Accessible pedestrian routes and access to all side streets, driveways and store entrances will be maintained at all times.      For more information or questions, contact project manager Craig Lease by phone at 240-773-3412 or by email.        What a "red flag" fire warning means for us   The entire Washington DC metropolitan area is under a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service. The warning is an indicator to firefighting agencies that conditions are ideal for wildland fire ignition and spread:  an extended dry period, low humidity and high or erratic winds.     In Bethesda and other nearby communities, the risk of fire is from, of all things, carelessly tossed smoldering matches or cigarettes into mulch or other vegetation.     Battalion Chief Jim Resnick, of the Montgomery County Fire Rescue Service, recommends the following preventive measures:  Ask smokers not to discard matches or cigarettes in mulch, planters, grass, bushes, etc.    Dispose of  matches and cigarettes in closed containers, preferably with water (preferred) or sand. To the extent possible, water of mulch and vegetation thoroughly and frequently, especially during extended dry spells. Cut back and dispose of dead vegetation.   Getting a tax credit for your historic structure You may qualify for a tax credit if you own a historic structure, received a historic area work permit for a rehabilitation project that cost more than $1000, and the work was completed in 2011. The Montgomery County Historic Preservation Commission is accepting applications through April 15 for county tax credits.     Tax credits, which total 10 percent of renovation costs, are applied toward property tax bills.

Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center | 4805 Edgemoor Lane | Bethesda | MD | 20814