New proposal extends Beach Drive's open parkway hours, shortens route
A pandemic-era idea may soon become permanent in Montgomery County.
Montgomery Parks officials said Wednesday that they want to make the Beach Drive open parkway permanent, with a couple of modifications.
Created in 2020, the open parkway currently goes into effect on Saturdays and Sundays, and it stretches 2.9 miles, from Knowles Avenue to Connecticut Avenue. During that time, pedestrians and cyclists use the road instead of cars.
In the county’s new proposal, two things would change. First, the open parkway’s hours would be extended, with Beach Drive being closed to traffic on Fridays as well. Also, instead of the open parkway stretching all the way to Connecticut Avenue, it would be reduced by about .7 miles and end at Cedar Lane instead.
"You get a little less parkway, but you get a little more time to use it," explained Montgomery Parks’ Kyle Lukacs, who added that cut-through traffic, especially along nearby Culver Street, is the main reason why.
"If you’re driving on Connecticut Avenue, and you can’t get on Beach Drive to get over to Cedar Lane or into Bethesda," Lukacs said, "a lot of the GPS’s kind of told you to just cut through the neighborhood."
That led to some complaints, which officials are hoping the new plan will resolve.
"We think it’s a great idea. We want to make sure everybody in that neighborhood thinks it’s a good idea," Lukacs said.
Portion of Beach Drive to remain closed to vehicles year-round
A portion of Beach Drive will remain closed to vehicles year-round, the National Park Service announced Wednesday.
Members of the public can provide comments about the proposed changes at this link through the end of the month.
A final vote on the plan is expected in mid-June, with the plan going into effect on June 21 if the proposal is approved.
More information about the plan can be found here.