Montgomery County’s parks department is seeking public feedback on a draft report that anticipates no major environmental impacts resulting from the controversial Little Falls Parkway Improvement project expected to get underway this fall.
The project, which has drawn both support and opposition from local residents and commuters, proposes to permanently reduce the number of traffic lanes on Little Falls Parkway in Bethesda to make it safer for pedestrians and cyclists, according to county planning officials. Montgomery Parks is in charge of the $600,000 project
The public can submit comments online or via mail until July 18.
Changes to the parkway are expected to cover a 0.4-mile stretch from Arlington Road to Dorset Avenue. They include reducing the road from four to two lanes and adding safety improvements at intersections. Other proposed changes include adding a new buffered bike lane, new median, lane markings, signal timing changes, new lane separators, new turn lanes and signage, according to the environmental assessment.
In some areas, planners propose the removal of unused pavement between Arlington Road and Hillandale Avenue, while existing pavement will be retained from Hillandale Road to Dorset Avenue, which would allow for a lane for emergency responder use only, according to planners.
Safety improvements planned for intersections along the parkway include raised crosswalks and increased crosswalk times.
The draft environmental assessment now under review “analyzes the potential environmental impacts that would result from the implementation” of the proposed changes in comparison to a “no-build” alternative, according to the report.
The National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC), the federal government’s central planning agency for the National Capital Region, is now reviewing the plans to reconfigure the parkway. To comply with the National Environmental Policy Act, NCPC is required to look into the project’s potential adverse impact on the human and natural environment.
According to the draft assessment, both the proposed changes and the “no build” options for the project would not result in any change in existing soil, topography or geology. The report also states that no tree or brush clearing or disturbance of existing vegetation is expected from the project.
In addition, the proposed parkway changes are “expected to enhance the natural aesthetic of the corridor through the removal of some pavement and the relatively small addition of green landscaped areas,” according to the assessment.
Little Falls Parkway also runs through the 160-acre Little Falls Stream Valley Park, which is a critical habitat for native animals and plants, according to the assessment. The council-approved project is not expected to impact endangered species in the area such as Northern long-eared and Tricolored bats, according to the report.
In addition, no disturbance of existing vegetation or widespread pesticide use is expected, which could impact Monarch butterflies. Monarchs are considered candidate species for classification as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
In March, the NCPC hosted an online meeting to discuss the project and answer questions from the public.
At the meeting, Montgomery Parks planners explained the project was necessary to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists and calm traffic. The project is a Vision Zero-centered plan, which is a county initiative to eliminate all traffic-related deaths by 2030, planners said.
In response to concerns about increases in traffic volume and congestion, planners said they conducted traffic studies that considered current and future development and population growth projected for the region up until 2040.
“We have been proactive in looking at what future traffic growth in the area might do and we think [a] two-lane Little Falls Parkway does have more than adequate capacity to handle the anticipated future traffic growth,” Andrew Tsai, an engineer with Montgomery Parks, said during the meeting.
The section of the parkway where the number of lanes is to be reduced includes the crossing for the Capital Crescent Trail, a pathway popular with cyclists and pedestrians. In 2016, Chevy Chase resident and cyclist Ned Gaylin was struck and killed by a driver while he was crossing the parkway in a recumbent bike.
In June 2022, the county launched a pilot road diet project on the parkway to “address concerns with cut-through traffic in adjacent neighborhoods associated with weekend closures” of the parkway, according to Montgomery Parks. In April 2023, the Planning Board approved the two-lane configuration between Arlington Road and Dorset Avenue.
In February 2023, the Kenwood Citizens Association filed a lawsuit against the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Montgomery County Planning Board alleging they failed to get the proper approval from NCPC to reduce the parkway’s size. The lawsuit – which has been withdrawn according to NCPC general counsel Anne Schuyler – alleged that reducing the number of lanes would be detrimental. Supporters and opponents of the lane reduction also have testified about the project before the Planning Board and County Council.
In January, the council unanimously chose to move forward with plans for the Little Falls Parkway road diet project – with adjustments that councilmembers called a “compromise.” The adjustments include implementing a two-lane road separated by a median with two lanes dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists with a protected shared-use path.
Planners have said the current road diet has had a “significant impact” on reducing the number of crashes on the parkway and at the Capital Crescent Trail crossing and along the parkway.
According to the environmental report, there hasn’t been a crash at the Capital Crescent Trail crossing since 2020. In 2016 there were six crashes at the crossing and eight crashes between Arlington Road and Hillandale Road along the parkway. Since road diet measures have been implemented, just two crashes on the parkway in 2022 have been reported, according to the assessment.
On Sept. 5, NCPC is expected to hold a final review meeting of the project. Pending NCPC approval, the final design and construction of the project may begin in the fall and winter, according to Montgomery Parks.