The noticeable construction work on Cedar Lane at Rockville Pike is leading up to a complete closure of the road that will last all summer.
Christopher Bishop, community liaison for the State Highway Administration, told the Walter Reed BRAC Integration Committee on Tuesday that Cedar Lane will be shut down sometime around the first week of June until August.
As part of a group of federally funded intersection improvement projects around the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, the SHA is creating a dedicated turn lane on Cedar Lane east of Rockville Pike and realigning a culvert for the creek that runs under the road.
Bishop said the work going on now is to divert that stream. Outreach materials are undergoing final review and the SHA hopes to have a website with regular updates on the project up soon.
Cedar Lane is a major access point to Rockville Pike for commuters to and from WRNMMC and NIH.
A Montgomery County project to replace the 74-year-old Elmhirst Parkway Bridge over the same creek is scheduled to begin in the summer too. County and state officials are coordinating efforts to make sure that closure doesn’t affect the Cedar Lane closure at the intersection.
Richard Levine, from the Locust Hill Citizens Association, said he’d actually prefer if both projects overlapped. Levine said he’s worried about the potential for neighborhood cut-thru traffic when that section of Cedar Lane is closed.
Bishop said the SHA is aware of the Aug. 25 opening date for the 2014-2015 MCPS school year, which typically brings more traffic on area roadways.
