SS/metro.pr         96-136         Contact:  Gail Nachman, 301-986-4325

DUNCAN LAUDS METRO'S DECISION
TO REFURBISH BETHESDA STATION      For Immediate Release:  April 12, 1996



     Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan today praised the action
of the Metro Board of Directors in approving a public-private funding plan to
correct structural problems at the Bethesda Metro Station.
     "I'm very pleased that Metro will be fixing up its 'front door' to
Bethesda," said Duncan.  "The Bethesda community has been very patient, while
our Montgomery County representatives on the Metro board worked to find the
funding for this project."
     The bus terminal and kiss/ride lot were built in 1984 by the developers
of the Bethesda Metro Center office and hotel complex.  For several years,
there have been problems with the concrete floor of the bus terminal, and with
loose material hanging from a low ceiling over the kiss/ride lot.  This week's
action by the Metro Board will provide $750,000 in Metro funds, matched by
$100,000 from the developer, Alan Kay Company.
     The work will include patching of the concrete floor of the bus
terminal, replacement of the ceiling over the kiss/ride lot and improved
lighting.
     Montgomery County is also coordinating the efforts of the Bethesda Urban
Partnership in gaining Metro approval to install a mural in the bus terminal,
to enhance the appearance of the entrance.  The Partnership is covering the
costs of restoring a mural which previously hung in the Bethesda Air Rights
                                 - more -

BETHESDA METRO STATION TO BE REFURBISHED                              2-2-2

Building, and would like to hang it in the bus area of the Metro Station, one
level below Wisconsin Avenue.
     Actual work on the station improvement will not begin until June or
July, following Metro's selection of competitive bids from contractors.  The
project should be completed this fall.  The County will evaluate whether the
work will require temporary relocation of the bus terminal to Edgemore Lane,
while the concrete deck work is in progress.
     Bethesda is one of the most heavily used Metro stations in the County,
serving more than 15,000 passengers a day.

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