The plan for a $68 million, federally funded shallow tunnel crossing under Rockville Pike is set to go before the Planning Board on Jan. 9.
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation hopes to start construction in late 2014 and complete the project by fall 2017. The tunnel would run under Rockville Pike from the Medical Center Metro station to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
The $68 million from two federal grants will build both the 80-foot long pedestrian tunnel crossing at the South Drive/Wood Road intersection with MD 355 and a bank of three high-speed elevators on the east side of the street that will allow commuters from the Military Medical campus to access the Metro station platform 120 feet below ground.
The county has narrowed down its list of nine contractors for the design-buildout of the project to two: the Clark Construction Group and a joint venture from Corman Construction and the Bradshaw Construction Corporation, which specializes in tunneling.
A contractor is expected to be selected in October 2014 after a Request For Proposal (RFP) is put out.
MCDOT rep Uzair Assadulla said the Planning Board hearing will deal with many of the technical issues involved with the project that will go into the RFP. The time will be confirmed on the Monday before the hearing date.
The goal is part safety — getting the Metrorail and Metrobus commuters off of the street-level crosswalk — and part traffic flow. About 3,000 people crossed the intersection daily before BRAC added Walter Reed to the National Naval Medical Center. Studies estimate about 7,000 people would cross by 2020 if not for the underground alternative.
Though county officials said in June that the street-level crosswalk won’t go away, the pedestrian tunnel crossing underneath would ostensibly allow the State Highway Administration, which operates MD 355, to improve traffic flow through the notoriously clogged area.
Residents have raised concerns about how that improved traffic flow, paired with an intersection improvement project at Jones Bridge Road, might cause pedestrian safety issues. Others have suggested ideas for the tunnel. At the June meeting, one suggested a moving walkway, like you’d find in an airport terminal.
That won’t happen. But expect to hear more of the details and the recommendations from county planners a little before the Jan. 9 hearing. Check out the county’s website on the project here.
Image via Montgomery County Department of Transportation
