After months of adjustments and tweaks to the thoroughfare from River Road into the heart of Bethesda, the County Council approved Tuesday the current plan put forward by the Montgomery County Parks and Planning Commission for Little Falls Parkway.
The new configuration will maintain single lanes of traffic. But instead of north and southbound traffic moving side by side, the lanes will be separated by a 17-foot median strip. The median sits already in place so structural changes will not be needed.
This latest version of the “road diet” came after much community input. Residents of the zip codes surrounding Little Falls Parkway testified at open hearings, mounted an online petition and responded to a survey conducted by the Council. They overwhelmingly registered their wish to return the Parkway to its former status with two traffic lanes going north and south.
But compromise was the order of the day. As Councilmember Will Jawando pointed out, if you’re 50% successful in sports, you are headed for the Hall of Fame implying that with the compromise, everyone was a winner.
In the new plan, no asphalt will be removed but the roadway will be painted with striping and low-profile barriers will be installed to protect bikers and pedestrians using the set aside lanes on either side of traffic.
The Parks and Planning Commission will execute the changes to the current roadway which may be reworked within the year.
