The county’s Department of Transportation will host a hybrid meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 28 to introduce the proposed alternative for the East Silver Spring Neighborhood Greenway, officials announced.
This project aims to create a safe and convenient route for biking and walking through East Silver Spring using neighborhood streets, according to MCDOT.
The facility will link up with existing or planned bike and pedestrian facilities at both the north and south ends. At the north end, it will connect to the Spring Street/Cedar Street separated bike lanes, which were built in 2017, and the Silver Spring Green Trail, which is currently under construction.
At the south end, it will connect to the Fenton Street Cycletrack, with construction starting in 2024, and the Burlington Ave. & 13th Street Separated Bike Lanes, which are currently in design. The Metropolitan Branch Trail is located one block south of the southern terminus and will be connected with a spur along Fenton Street, which will start construction next year.
Planned treatments will include new segments of sidewalk along Grove Street, Houston Street, and Bonifant Street; safety improvements to the contraflow bike lane on Cedar Street; a shared-use path along Sligo Avenue connecting Woodbury Street to Grove Street; pedestrian crossing safety improvements at Woodbury Drive and Sligo Avenue, and traffic calming measures to slow drivers throughout the project limits.
According to MCDOT, a Neighborhood Greenway prioritizes the safe movement of bicyclists and pedestrians while minimizing the fast-through movement of vehicles. It may include speed treatments such as speed humps and diversionary treatments. Grove Street is identified as a future neighborhood greenway in the County’s adopted Bicycle Master Plan. This project is a pilot project, meaning that treatments will use temporary materials that can be modified or removed.
To attend virtually, online registration is required. Registration is not required for in-person attendance. The in-person meeting will be held at the East Silver Spring Elementary School, located at 631 Silver Spring Ave.
The public is encouraged to review the project files posted on the project website before attending the meeting. Meeting materials will be posted by 5 p.m. on the day of the meeting.
Feedback and questions can be submitted to the Project Manager, Matt Johnson, by email at [email protected] or by phone at (240) 777-7237.
MCDOT Graphic