|
As the summer draws to a close, new traffic patterns are being implemented to reopen areas around Purple Line construction. In Silver Spring, the intersection of Wayne Ave and Dale Drive will be reopened to allow pedestrians and motorists to move through the intersection more freely in time for the first day of school. My staff joined Purple Line staff and Del. Charkoudian’s office to walk along Wayne Ave to highlight areas around the school to clean up and improve before school starts. I also plan to come out for the start of the school year on Monday morning.
In Long Branch, while we are continuing to work with project staff to ensure safe access to the recreation center and local businesses, the Purple Line completed track construction in the Piney Branch and University Blvd intersection ahead of schedule and installed and activated a new pedestrian signal at Seek Lane and University Blvd.
WMATA staff indicate they expect the Red Line Metrorail shutdown to conclude as scheduled on August 31st.
RideOn has a shuttle for residents affected by the ongoing Spring St bridge closure to get to and from Downtown Silver Spring.
For the next phase of construction on Wayne Ave at Sligo Creek Pkwy to put more tracks in the ground and replace the other side of the bridge over the creek, there will be a two-phase temporary closure of parts of Sligo Creek Parkway. Details on that are below.
The work continues here and along the alignment – please email us with other areas of concern.
Montgomery Parks will temporarily close portions of Sligo Creek Parkway beginning on or about September 16, 2024, to allow for the construction of the Purple Line. During this time, the project team will place light rail tracks and reconstruct the intersection along Wayne Avenue at Sligo Creek Parkway, while Montgomery Parks incorporates other improvements to the roadway.
The Sligo Creek Trail is expected to remain open for most of the construction, but some short-term closures are planned for trail improvements. Please follow detours and avoid closed segments of the trail.
Due to construction logistics, the parkway closures will occur at separate times, with the portion north of Wayne Avenue closed this fall. The portion south of Wayne Avenue will be closed in 2025, that schedule will be communicated nearer to the closure period. Each closure of the Parkway is expected to last approximately two months. The Purple Line project will announce specific closure updates as the work progresses.
Sligo Creek Parkway Closure Plan
- September-November 2024: Sligo Creek Parkway (north side) from Schuyler Road to Wayne Avenue closed.
- December 2024: Sligo Creek Trail from Schuyler to Wayne Avenue will be closed for approximately four weeks for repaving.
- Spring 2025: Sligo Creek Parkway (south side) from Piney Branch Road to Wayne Avenue closed. Estimated duration: two months in spring/summer 2025. The exact timeframe will depend on construction progress and updates will be provided by the Purple Line project.
- Summer 2025: Sligo Creek Trail from Piney Branch Road to the Dale Drive Neighborhood Park bridge over Sligo will be closed for approximately four weeks for repaving after the south side Parkway closure. The exact time frame is dependent on construction progress and Montgomery Parks will provide updates on its website.
During the construction, signs will detour vehicular traffic and pedestrians around the work zones. Full construction updates are available at purplelinemd.com.
The Planning Board, after a number of years of study and public engagement, has made recommendations to the Council to facilitate the building of more different types of homes in residential zones across the County. Council President Friedson and Planning Director Jason Sartori are hosting a series of listening sessions to hear from you on Planning’s recommendations.
Currently, there is no legislation under consideration at the Council on this topic. I will be joining a number of the sessions to continue to listen to residents. Please continue to be in touch with our office with questions, thoughts, or concerns you have as this discussion about the County’s future continues.
In addition to our discussion here in Montgomery County, I am also closely following discussion of housing affordability at the federal level by the Biden-Harris Administration and the passage this year of Governor Moore’s housing package at the state level, and how these changes at the state and federal level will impact and provide opportunities to our County.
Montgomery Planning has made a great deal of information available about their recommendations on their site, including the answers to some frequently asked questions. Our team looks forward to hearing what residents have to say about these recommendations.
Summer RISE Ceremony - We had the pleasure of hosting a Summer RISE student in our office this summer. It was great to be able to share in the program’s completion with all the students, vendors, and MCPS partners. I even got to say hello to our new MCPS Superintendent Thomas Taylor!
Wrapping up our summer field office program - My staff connected in recent weeks with residents at the Twin Spring Farm Market and Garrett Park Farmers Market. On Saturday 8/31 we round out our summer field office appearances at the Pike Central Farmers Market. We of course continue to be at community events and available to residents by email, phone, or making an appointment.
Join us for the second annual Buckets and Beats: Silver Spring Youth Block Party on Friday, September 27th from 2 - 6 PM in Veterans Plaza! We will be hosting another 3 v 3 basketball tournament, have a soccer skills station, and have several arts activities. There will also be a number of youth programming stakeholders in attendance, sharing opportunities for youth to get involved. To tie it all together, we will have a live DJ and free food to truly make this a block party. If you are interested in participating in the basketball tournament, please sign up on Active Montgomery. We hope to see you there!
|
Office of Councilmember Kate Stewart
