This story originally published at 8 a.m. on March 15, 2023, was updated at 10:52 a.m. on March 15, 2023, to correct that NCPC is reviewing the Little Falls Parkway improvement plan. A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that the agency is overseeing the plan, which is the role of Montgomery Parks.
A project to permanently reduce the number of traffic lanes on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists is expected to get underway in late fall, according to Montgomery Parks planners.
The planners discussed the timing of the $600,000 project during an online meeting Tuesday night hosted by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC). The NCPC is the federal government’s central planning agency for the National Capital Region and is now reviewing the plans to reconfigure the parkway.
Changes to the parkway will cover a 0.4-mile stretch from Arlington Road to Dorset Avenue and include reducing the road from four to two lanes and adding safety improvements at intersections. Other proposed changes include a new buffered bike lane, new median, lane markings, signal timing changes, new lane separators, new turn lanes and signage, according NCPC.
In some areas, planners propose the removal of unused pavement between Arlington Road and Hillandale Avenue, while existing pavement will be retained from Hillandale Road to Dorset Avenue, which would allow for a lane for emergency responder use only, according to planners. Safety improvements planned for intersections along the parkway include raised crosswalks and increased crosswalk times.
The section of the parkway where the number of lanes is to be reduced includes the crossing for the Capital Crescent Trail, a pathway popular with cyclists and pedestrians. In 2016, Chevy Chase resident and cyclist Ned Gaylin was struck and killed by a driver while he was crossing on the trail in a recumbent bike.
In June 2022, the county launched a pilot road diet project on the parkway to “address concerns with cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods associated with weekend closures” of the parkway, according to Montgomery Parks. In April 2023, the Planning Board approved the two-lane configuration between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue.
In January, the Montgomery County Council unanimously chose to move forward with plans for the Little Falls Parkway road diet project – with adjustments that councilmembers called a “compromise.” The adjustments include implementing a two-lane road separated by a median with two lanes dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists with a protected shared-use path.
At Tuesday evening’s meeting, 98 attendees submitted more than 100 comments and questions, ranging from confusion about the necessity of the proposed changes to both support of and opposition to the project.
“Why are you expending scarce funds on an unneeded project?” one attendee asked.
Montgomery Parks planner Kyle Lukacs responded that traffic safety data shows the project is “needed.”
“Both at the crossing of the Capital Crescent trail itself [and] introducing the interim road diet there had a significant impact on the number of crashes and the severity of those crashes,” he said. “So we know that two-lane roads versus four-lane roads have safety implications.”
Also, speed studies conducted on the two-lane section involved in the pilot project as well as the four-lane stretch south of Dorset Avenue show “there are some pretty major safety concerns,” Lukacs said.
He noted that the speed study of the parkway south of Dorset Avenue (where the speed limit is 35 mph) showed more than 20% of drivers traveling at 40 mph, with multiple drivers traveling faster than 65 mph. He said that the planned lane reduction is a “Vision Zero project in many ways,” referring to a county initiative with a goal to eliminate all traffic-related deaths by 2030.
Since the temporary lane reduction was implemented, some residents have complained that the move has caused traffic problems and said they want the parkway to be returned to four lanes.
In February 2023, the Kenwood Citizens Association filed a lawsuit against the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board alleging they failed to get the proper approval to reduce the parkway’s size from NCPC. The lawsuit – which has been withdrawn, NCPC general counsel Anne Schuyler said Tuesday – alleged that reducing the number of lanes would be detrimental. Supporters and opponents of the lane reduction also have testified about the project to the planning board and County Council.
Others attending Tuesday’s meeting said they were concerned about increases in traffic volume as nearby developments in Bethesda–such as the redevelopment of Westbard Square–bring more residents and drivers. The second phase of Westbard development is expected to be delivered in 2026.
According to Tsai, planners have conducted their studies taking into account the current and future development and population growth projected for the region up until 2040.
“We have been proactive in looking at what future traffic growth in the area might do and we think [a] two-lane Little Falls Parkway does have more than adequate capacity to handle the anticipated future traffic growth,” he said.
A resident also complained that the plastic bollards, barriers, reflectors and flex posts installed during the pilot phase made “the parkway [look] more like a work zone and less like a parkway.”
Tsai confirmed that the project’s proposed design only includes pavement markings.
“We’re not proposing the use of any plastic bollards,” he said. “There could potentially be a traffic barrier separating the protected shared use path but that will look more like a guardrail type of barrier because it needs to provide protection to the trail users.”
The comment period to provide federal planners with feedback on the road diet plan is open to the public until March 29. Those interested can submit comments online or via mail to the NCPC.