Neighbors of the 8300 Wisconsin apartment project on the northern edge of downtown Bethesda might have been in for a late night wake-up call last week.
A representative for the developer of the approximately 360-unit apartment project (with a confirmed Harris Teeter grocery store) said crews were conducting permitted underground utility work last week between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m., which included at least one period of jackhammering around 2 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 29.
“Our 8300 Wisconsin did have required underground investigative utility work last week. The work was permitted with the MD State Highway Administration and the permit mandated work was directed to proceed between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.,” wrote Kevin Cosimano, a principal with Bethesda-based developer StonebridgeCarras. “The permit is still open in the event we need to do more investigative work, but none is planned at this time.”
StonebridgeCarras is also building the 250-unit apartment and ground floor retail property on the former site of Lot 31 on Bethesda Row. Construction there caused a stir in December when nearby residents reported earthquake-like thumps that seemed to be coming from the excavation project there.
StonebridgeCarras said it had warned people in the commercial and residential properties nearby that Clark Construction would be blasting dense, hard rock in the middle of the day in order to build the planned underground parking garage for the site.
In October, the developer was going through the process of applying for the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Voluntary Cleanup Program, typically used to certify that a site isn’t contaminated.
Meanwhile, utility work in the nearby intersection of Woodmont Avenue and Battery Lane has slowed down considerably in the past few months.
