New traffic signals on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton (Photos)

The Maryland State Highway Administration has installed new traffic signals at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Price Avenue in Wheaton. However, they are still covered, and have not been activated yet. My understanding is that these are standard traffic and crossing signals, which will operate on a timer, rather than the type of crossing signals that only stop traffic when a pedestrian pushes a button to cross. This project has been in the works for several years, but needed approval from MDSHA to move forward.

Downtown Silver Spring retail building for sale

A retail building on heavily-traveled Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring is now on the market for sale. 8415-8425 Georgia Avenue is a 7,842 SF building with four tenants. One second floor unit with a kitchen is available for lease. The asking price for the building is $2.5 million, according to the online sale listing. Bethesda-based AMR Commercial, LLC is the broker.

Photos courtesy AMR Commercial, LLC

Safeway truck gets stuck in barricades in downtown Silver Spring (Video)

A Safeway truck got stuck in ill-placed barricades in downtown Silver Spring. Departing the Safeway store at 909 Thayer Avenue, the driver attempted to turn onto Georgia Avenue from Thayer. The plastic and concrete barricades on either side of the intersection did not allow enough space for an 18-wheeler to easily make the right turn, and the truck became stuck. As the driver attempted to work his way out of the trap, traffic began to back up, as northbound Georgia was completely blocked for more than 10 minutes. We've seen the Maryland State Highway Administration become politicized during the governorship of Larry Hogan, where best engineering practices began to take a back seat to demands from Montgomery County elected officials and developers. Here is an improper turn ratio for trucks entering one of the busiest state highways in the county. Let's take a look:

Road work causes lane closures on Georgia Avenue in downtown Silver Spring (Photos)

Road work closed multiple lane closures near the 8500 block of Georgia Avenue last night in downtown Silver Spring. Strangely, the lane closures were not listed on the Maryland State Highway Administration's CHART alert page for state highways like Georgia Avenue (MD 97). This suggests either a failure on the SHA or contractor's part, or that the work was related to an unexpected emergency.

Major traffic shift at Georgia-Randolph intersection in Glenmont this weekend

The Maryland State Highway Administration says it plans to route traffic on Randolph Road onto the new lanes that pass underneath Georgia Avenue this weekend for the first time. Drivers on Randolph who wish to turn onto Georgia, or reach the Glenmont Shopping Center, will use the left and right turning lanes on either side of the new Randolph Road through-lanes. The switchover will begin around 6:00 AM Saturday, February 17, 2018, and is expected to be complete by 7:00 PM.

Because traffic signal changes and new paint are among the many tasks that are to be completed, police will be guiding traffic throughout the day Saturday. Best advice for drivers - if you can - is to take an alternative route like Connecticut Avenue (north-to-south) or a creative workaround going west-east (the unbuilt Rockville Freeway would have come in handy Saturday...).

MoCo Council asking Annapolis for eminent domain-on-steroids land grab power

For the third time in this term of office, the Montgomery County Council is trying to quietly ram a major change in the law through behind closed doors in Annapolis. In 2015, they tried to establish an Independent Transit Authority with unlimited taxation and debt power, and in 2017, they attempted a backdoor runaround the term limits voters had approved only months prior. This morning, they are exhorting the Montgomery County delegation to the Maryland General Assembly to expand and increase their eminent domain authority.

The bill, like the others, is being filed at the eleventh hour, and with no fanfare. Bill MC 27-18, "Eminent Domain - Expansion of 'Quick Take' Authority," would streamline the property seizure process related to highway and transit projects. For example, it would eliminate the ability to compare a property to similar pieces of land for the purpose of determining fair market value. The Council would also be able to force residents out of homes, and businesspeople out of commercial properties immediately, as long as they make an immediate payment of that potentially less-than-actual market value to the landowner.

Purple Line opponents suspect the law may be used in short order for eminent domain seizures related to that light rail project. That would fit the "heckuva rush" manner in which it is being put forward in Annapolis.

But looking ahead, this law would be equally handy in the quick demolition of more than 150 homes and businesses along Georgia Avenue between Olney and Wheaton, for the planned BRT route there. We know that from a state analysis, but we don't have similar numbers yet for which properties would end up being seized for BRT along MD 355 and Route 29. How might this also be used in the Veirs Mill Corridor sector plan, which is about to begin the process of approval before the Montgomery County Planning Board? Land seizures along Veirs Mill have been strongly hinted at by planners.

The late-filed bill will be introduced at the 9:30 AM session of the Montgomery County Delegation this morning. If the bill receives the necessary votes to advance, a public hearing will be scheduled. One question will be: will that hearing be held in Rockville, or Annapolis?

It's no wonder they held this bill from you, despite planning it for months, and are now attempting to file it quietly at the last minute!

Noisy nights ahead along Georgia Ave. in downtown Silver Spring

Extensive nighttime utility work planned for Georgia Avenue could wake up those in apartment buildings nearby in downtown Silver Spring. A contractor has requested a noise waiver for the work, which will begin late this month, and continue through June.

The impacted block of Georgia is between Cameron Street and Colesville Road.

Work will be performed Sunday to Thursday nights, between 9:00 PM and 5:00 AM. Inclement weather could extend the work.

Georgia Ave./Randolph Rd. lane closures start tonight at interchange project in Glenmont

Prepare for traffic jams along Georgia Avenue in Aspen Hill, Glenmont and Wheaton this weekend. The Maryland State Highway Administration says Georgia and Randolph Road will both be reduced to one lane open in each direction from 9:00 PM tonight, to 5:00 AM Monday morning. This is to allow extensive work on the Georgia Avenue-Randolph Road grade-separated interchange, which has been underway for more than a year at the intersection.

New lanes will be striped, and new traffic signals will be activated, while the old signal posts will be dismantled and removed. Should inclement weather thwart SHA plans this weekend, the work will be performed the weekend of July 31, instead.

The unbuilt Rockville Freeway and Northern Parkway would certainly have come in handy as detours this weekend.

Rendering courtesy MD State Highway Administration

Wheaton water main break repaired, rush hour nightmare ahead as SB Georgia Avenue remains closed

The WSSC completed repair of the water main under Georgia Avenue around 1:00 AM this morning, but commuters will have a rough trip down Georgia anyway. Southbound Georgia Avenue will remain closed for the morning commute between Randolph Road and Arcola Avenue. The break occurred yesterday at Georgia and Weisman Road near Glenmont in Wheaton.

Southbound and northbound traffic will share the northbound lanes of Georgia along that stretch, meaning about 33% less capacity for southbound traffic. This will be a good example of what traffic would be like if Montgomery County were to implement its proposed Bus Rapid Transit plan, which would seize one lane from each side of Georgia for BRT lanes. Multiplied by all of the impacts north and south of this segment, of course.

The water main break flooded nearby homes, and cut water service to residents as well as to the Wheaton Park Shopping Center on Wednesday. A 68-year-old 16" underground main was responsible for the failure, according to the WSSC. The utility estimates that 2.5 million gallons of water were lost during the break yesterday.

Water was restored around 11:25 PM last night to customers affected by the break, according to WSSC.

The offending gash in the
68-year-old pipe under Georgia

Photos courtesy WSSC

MONTGOMERY COUNTY BRT BACKFIRE AT COUNTY FAIR

The latest gaffe in the effort to sell a skeptical public on Bus Rapid Transit was a photo op that backfired at the Montgomery County Fair. After several years of claiming BRT vehicles would be futuristic, and more like railcars than buses, a BRT vehicle presented to media at the fair looked...exactly like a bus! Inside and out, the vehicle resembled the Metro buses we ride all over the DC area today. Just how this would help overcome the lower ridership potential of buses versus rail was not explained.

I'm also curious - who paid to transport this vehicle to the fair, and for all of the display materials and signage? It would be very costly to do so. Was this lobbying by a company for the theoretical fleet contract? An organization (financially backed by whom?)? Or was it paid for by the taxpayers?

The media blitz contained no mention of the 155 homes and businesses that would be condemned between Olney and Wheaton alone to build the BRT line along Georgia Avenue. What would be condemned in Rockville and Bethesda for a line that duplicates the Red Line, and dumps downtown DC-bound commuters short of the DC-MD line?

Signage promoted "Rapid Transit" (note they dropped the "bus" part), but the vehicle screamed "bus."  At a speed of 12 miles in 50 minutes, they may want to consider dropping the "Rapid" term, as well. While there was no indication of who paid for the BRT vehicle, there was also no indication of how the BRT system will be paid for.

Overall, there seems to be a much more compelling need to finance 8-car trains for Metro with some of the $5 billion that would be spent on BRT. We know Metro - as with rail transit in general - would have higher ridership than BRT. Increased capacity on the Red Line would be far more effective in accommodating current and future development in downtown Bethesda, and along Rockville Pike. It would also avoid the currently-planned seizure of automobile lanes for BRT, which would reduce auto capacity on that congested corridor by 33%.

Rail transit, and a new Potomac River crossing, would have far greater impact on economic development and job creation than BRT.

AVALON BAY SEEKS EXTENSION FOR AVA WHEATON APARTMENT BUILDING AT GEORGIA AND BLUERIDGE AVENUES (PHOTOS)

Developer Avalon Bay is requesting an extension of the sketch plan review period from the Montgomery County Planning Board, for its proposed AVA Wheaton apartment building. The project, which would replace an office building property at the northeast corner of Georgia and Blueridge Avenues, is located where downtown Wheaton transitions to the residential suburbs.

Planning staff are recommending the board grant the request, which would extend the review of the project's sketch plan to May 8, 2014, and reschedule the public hearing date for April 24, 2014. Avalon Bay says it would like the additional time to incorporate new feedback from the Development Review Committee. The AVA Wheaton is expected to deliver in 2016.

The project will change the dynamic of the northern gateway to downtown Wheaton to a degree. Overall, the AVA Wheaton building height averages 4 stories. Existing apartment buildings nearby are also 4 stories, (although in reality, their stories are shorter, and the new building will still be slightly taller). AVA Wheaton will be built right out to the sidewalk along Georgia and Blueridge, creating a more dominating presence on Georgia, in contrast to today's building setback. That setback (and surface parking) allowed for green and sky views to the northeast and east, for those heading north on Georgia. Those views will be blocked, as far as I can tell from the sketch plan. The current sketch landscape design does not show trees along Georgia Avenue. A former Metro construction site remains as green space, for now, between the AVA Wheaton site, and the townhomes on the former Good Counsel site. A building on the western side of Georgia on this block is 3 stories.

But having said that, the existing building on the site - while less dense than the new one will be - rises as high as 7-8 stories along the dramatic slope of Blueridge. So, on the one hand, the new building could actually be shorter than the old one. On the other hand, I don't know the exact height of the current building to compare it to the 117' highest point of the AVA Wheaton.

In any case, the developer has shown some restraint here. There are far taller proposals, for less dense areas in the county, than this one. Density is still high in the project, though, with 322 apartments proposed. I don't see any ground floor retail or restaurants in the designs, so it will likely be a quiet neighbor for existing nearby residents. If you are one of those residents, please feel free to leave a comment below, with your opinion about the AVA Wheaton proposal.

The big takeaway from this project, is the continuing weakness in Montgomery County's office space market. This was a pretty nice office complex, with plenty of parking, well connected by regional Ride On and Metrobus routes, not far from the Wheaton Metro station, and not far from the Beltway, either. To have a lack of tenants interested in the office space there, speaks volumes about the moribund office market in the county. Those conveniences will certainly be to the benefit of the future residents of the AVA Wheaton, however.

Images via Avalon Bay, Hord Coplan Macht, VIKA Maryland, and Studio 39; All Rights Reserved.