Funding has been approved for the preliminary design work on a series of hiker-biker trails and bike lanes in the vicinity of the National Naval Medical Center and the National Institutes of Health on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda.  The County Executive has recommended $750,000 be appropriated and the County Council has approved the funding for the initial design steps.  These facilities are associated with the Walter Reed Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action.  The County has received a grant from the US Department of Defense for these design-related costs.  The BRAC action is expected to result in an additional 2,200 employees at the Naval Medical Center as well as additional visiting patients and family members.

The following facilities will be designed.

* Cedar Lane: an off-road bike path between Old Georgetown Road and an existing path beyond Rockville Pike that connects to Beach Drive.

* Battery Lane and Glenbrook Parkway: sidewalk repairs, lighting, and improved signage.

* Rockville Pike: a hiker-biker path to replace the existing sidewalk on the east side of the Pike between Cedar Lane and Jones Bridge Road.

* Jones Bridge Road: adding either bike lanes or an off-road bike path between Rockville Pike and the entrance to the Uniformed Services University of the Health Services.

For more information on this project, call the Division of Transportation Engineering at 240.777.7220.  For information on Base Realignment and Closure issues affecting Montgomery County, visit our BRAC website.

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