Silver Spring construction shuts sidewalks, violating policy

Pedestrians

Silver Spring construction shuts sidewalks, violating policy

by Stephen Miller and Eric Fidler • February 16, 2011 3:16 pm

Ongoing residential construction on three projects in Silver Spring needlessly closed sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to either navigate confusing, circuitous detours or to walk in the roadway. For neighbors, it's been an ongoing nightmare.

The Maryland State Highway Administration has put Silver Spring pedestrians in danger by failing to uphold its own standards for pedestrian safety at the construction sites, at the intersection of East-West Highway, Newell Street and Blair Mill Road.

Silver Spring resident William Smith started Montgomery Sideways, a blog dedicated to pedestrian safety in the county. "Passage through this intersection is horrible if you're trying to get across East-West Highway, because it's been neglected," he tells us.

Image from Google Street View.

"It's encouraging people constantly to take risks," Smith explains, "because you really don't have a choice if you want to get across the street here."

Even the signs indicating sidewalk closures are poorly placed. Rodney Elin navigates the neighborhood in his wheelchair. "Construction and temporary signs," he says, "are actually placed in the pedestrian pathway," forcing him to double-back. On the northern side of the intersection, the nearest alternate crosswalk is almost 1,000 feet from the sidewalk closure.

"If these road closed signs were placed in a more thoughtful way," Elin says, "I would actually be able to get by these signs that are supposed to help me."

SHA's own guidelines for "Accommodating Bicyclists and Pedestrians Through Work Zones" state:

Completely closing a sidewalk for construction and rerouting pedestrians to the other side of the street should only be done as a last resort. To the maximum extent feasible, the alternate pedestrian route should be provided on the same side of the street as the disrupted route.

As SHA's guidelines suggest, there is a better way to handle construction than simply shutting down sidewalks. Three years ago, the District announced new standards for temporary sidewalks at construction sites, putting an end to the practice of closing sidewalks in busy urban areas. State roadways go through urban areas, including Silver Spring. SHA must recognize the necessity of sidewalks to the state's walkable communities.

It may too late for this intersection, but SHA needs to start upholding its own standards when construction results in long-term closures and detours. It is unacceptable for SHA to permit a sidewalk closure that forces pedestrians to choose between backtracking nearly 1,000 feet or dashing across a busy highway.

27 comments

Tags: Maryland, Montgomery, pedestrian safety, pedestrians, SHA, Silver Spring

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Stephen Miller lived in the District from 2008 to 2011 and is now a student at Pratt Institute's city and regional planning masters program.

Eric Fidler has lived in DC and suburban Maryland his entire life. He likes long walks along the Potomac and considers the L'Enfant Plan an elegant work of art. He also blogs at Left for LeDroit, LeDroit Park's (only) blog of record.

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East-West Highway is a nightmare. There are not enough crossings between Georgia and Colesville, and it's a straightaway of speeders. The blocks are way too large, especially considering that it is right next to one of the state's largest transit centers.

by Dave Murphy on Feb 16, 2011 3:42 pm • link • report

ps- Excellent video.

by Dave Murphy on Feb 16, 2011 3:42 pm • link • report

Ditto Georgia Avenue. I work right at the intersection of Georgia and Wayne. After all this construction, they basically shaved away what little bulb outs existed for pedestrians and put in oddly shaped pedestrian ramps that have weird sharp angles. The effect of this is to allow cars to take the turn from Wayne onto Georgia (and vice versa) at a much higher speed. Plus, the sidewalk damage incurred during construction has not been repaired, so you have to deal with mud and gravel when walking around.

by anonymous on Feb 16, 2011 3:45 pm • link • report

This is same story when they were repairing the sidewalk further west on East-West Hwy. They forced people to cross or walk in the street. For example, one sign said to cross and use the other side, but there was no sidewalk on the other side, not even a shoulder.

by SJE on Feb 16, 2011 3:58 pm • link • report

A serious problem and an excellent video. Thanks to the producers.

by Alan Bowser on Feb 16, 2011 4:38 pm • link • report

This intersection has been a problem since AT LEAST 2008. Silver Spring Penguin did a couple of videos showing what a problem it was, though the mess on the right hand side of the street in the video has been cleared up.

http://silverspringpenguin.com/2008/12/30/transportation-65/
http://silverspringpenguin.com/2009/01/05/transportation-66/

The biggest frustration with this corner is that the sidewalk was dismantled for the construction of a condominium that was finished about a year ago and it hasn't been touched since. It feels like it is an abandoned project.

by Jimmy Obomsawin on Feb 16, 2011 4:53 pm • link • report

Good criticisms of SHA.
Re: E-W Hwy and Pedestrians.
In Chevy Chase, there is no sidewalk at all during the long stretch west of Jones Mill Road/Beach Drive up to Brookville Road. Pedestrians going west from Silver Spring or Rock Creek Forest to the Chevy Chase Library, to the Chevy Chase Women's Club, or the Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School are forced into the very busy roadway.
I have seen women pushing baby carriages in the road, slow-moving bicyclists going uphill, and other hapless pedestrians.
Will someone have to be seriously injured or killed in this stretch before a sidewalk is put in???

by Eric E. Sterling on Feb 16, 2011 5:11 pm • link • report

Thank you for posting this. This stretch of Rt 410 has been a headache for pedestrians and commuters for years. As another post points out, it is basically an all-out sppedway from Colesville to Georgia. When will police enfirce the speed limit and ticket the numerous illegal mid-block U-turns?

by Kathy J on Feb 16, 2011 5:22 pm • link • report

What an awesome video! I wish I'd thought of something like that when I was still living in Silver Spring.

by dan reed! on Feb 16, 2011 5:29 pm • link • report

Could someone please post exactly whom (what number(s) and people) need to be called about this? I have called Montgomery County 311 several times, and been referred to the State, which is a black hole. Whom should we all bug about this?

by BL on Feb 16, 2011 5:32 pm • link • report

To elaborate on the failings of East West Highway: Another huge issue is the incredibly poor condition of the road overall for both pedestrians and drivers. It is more rutted then a 19th century wagon trail! The SHA spent significant time and money (ARRA funding no doubt) improving the crossings at intersections (new ADA compliant pedestrian cutouts), yet in the 5 years I've lived in Silver Spring spent no money resurfacing the surface of the road or re-striping crosswalks. This makes pedestrian crossing downright dangerous because of the highly irregular surface which must be awful to walk across for anyone with a stroller or with a disability. Additionally, new pedestrian signals were added, but have yet to be activated. Yet, the ICC moves forward.

by Matt on Feb 16, 2011 5:41 pm • link • report

Great video and writeup - good work.

by Just161 on Feb 16, 2011 8:40 pm • link • report

In addition to the lack of sidewalk here, they also allow people to park right up against e/w highway where it is clearly not wide enough for parking. This forces cars out of their lane and makes that road even more dangerous for all involved. I've called just about everyone in the county that might have a hand in it and they all just give me the run-around. This building has been done for so long, they need to clean up their construction zone.

by Elysian on Feb 16, 2011 9:46 pm • link • report

Thank you for posting this video. I've lived at the Veridian (which is at that intersection) since June 2010 and that corner outside 1200 East West has not changed since. In addition to being an eyesore it is as dangerous as the video describes, forcing people to cross 3 streets instead of just one. I wanted to complain about this but was unsure who is responsible. Is it the apartment complex, Pepco, the city, the county? I would gladly lend my voice to any petition, call-in, or city council meeting.

by Brandon on Feb 17, 2011 7:29 am • link • report

If it were not so serious, it would all be funny. Real cities build 70 story buildings without closing sidewalks. We not only allow closures, endangering folks, too often, but then we allow them to remain closed for many months after all the major construction is finished. This is fundamentally irresponsible and sets a bad tone for the neighborhood: "developers matter, residents don't".

by Sandy Mack on Feb 17, 2011 8:44 am • link • report

The Discovery Channel Technical Center (DCTC) is at the corner of this intersection with the historic Acorn gazebo and Spring. This is where all Discovery's editing and engineering, voice-over recording etc. takes place. Many of Discovery's technical employees live in these condo towers and cross here when walking to work. Employees/Residents also frequently cross here to access the METRO stop or to grab lunch/coffee etc. These sidewalk closures have been a huge problem since 2008 at least. You would think Discovery would make a fuss about protecting their employees, but they have sidestepped the problem by telling employees to take the free shuttles provided between DCTC and headquarters, or otherwise drive to the Kennett St. public parking garage. Police/Security Escorts are available to employees using the garage, which is also connected to DCTC by a 2nd story pedestrian bridge. To their credit, Discovery has installed wide brick walkways (regularly cleared of snow), benches, and many bike racks around both of their buildings in SS, and they like to emphasize quality of life issues. I believe that Discovery could be brought on-board to pressure SHA and local officials to take Pedestrian issues more seriously in SS.

by Lee on Feb 17, 2011 10:44 am • link • report

FWIW State Law:

§ 2-602. Public policy.

The General Assembly finds that it is in the public interest for the State to include enhanced transportation facilities for pedestrians and bicycle riders as an essential component of the State's transportation system, and declares that it is the policy of the State that:
(1) Access to and use of transportation facilities by pedestrians and bicycle riders shall be considered and best engineering practices regarding the needs of bicycle riders and pedestrians shall be employed in all phases of transportation planning, including highway design, construction, reconstruction, and repair as well as expansion and improvement of other transportation facilities;
(2) The modal administrations in the Department shall ensure that the State maintains an integrated transportation system by working cooperatively to remove barriers, including restrictions on bicycle access to mass transit, that impede the free movement of individuals from one mode of transportation to another;
(3) As to any new transportation project or improvement to an existing transportation facility, the Department shall work to ensure that transportation options for pedestrians and bicycle riders will be enhanced and that pedestrian and bicycle access to transportation facilities will not be negatively impacted by the project or improvement; and
(4) In developing the annual Consolidated Transportation Program, the Department shall:
(i) Ensure that there is an appropriate balance between funding for:
1. Projects that retrofit existing transportation projects with facilities for pedestrians and bicycle riders; and
2. New highway construction projects; and
(ii) In transit-oriented areas within priority funding areas, as defined in § 5-7B-02 of the State Finance and Procurement Article, place increased emphasis on projects that retrofit existing transportation projects with facilities for pedestrians and bicycle riders and increase accessibility for the greatest number of pedestrians and bicycle riders.

by Barry Childress on Feb 17, 2011 1:06 pm • link • report

Has anyone contacted John Gover ( wgover at sha.state.md.us ) from the Office of Traffic & Safety? He was very helpful at rapidly correcting some mistakenly uncompleted sidewalk projects elsewhere on East West Hwy. Some construction removed a paved pedestrian path at EW Hwy and Rosemary Hills Dr and didn't replace it. With a single email to him the place was repaved in a few weeks and they started to add sidewalks in that area on the south side of EW Hwy since the North side was under construction.

by Dan on Feb 17, 2011 4:00 pm • link • report

So, this is against the law, but what's the penalty? How can you force builders to stick to the rules?

Cool clip. The only thing that was missing was a solution. It is not satisfactory to end with "it is too late for this intersection". No, it's not. Show a graph of how you can take car lanes, or building space away and create a safe pedestrian path.

BTW: I like the idea of the guy in the wheel chair. Force builders to buy a wheelchair and see if they can get around their obstacles. That could be a nice standard. Anybody present on the building site, should be able to get around the site in a wheelchair.

Also, wobbling on crutches myself for a while, I notice you f-ing annoying ADA required wheelchair and other ramps are. It's an eye-opening experience for me to notice how terrible uneven pavement is for those who are not on two solid feet. I've bitched about it before (I'm looking at you Georgetown!), but I will now even more.

by Jasper on Feb 17, 2011 8:44 pm • link • report

@Jasper:
I took that "it's too late comment" to mean that "it's too late to keep this intersection from being blocked for 2 years, but we can stop that elsewhere".

Sort of like saying, "it's too late to stop Reagan from getting elected, but we can prevent other Republicans from winning in the future."

I agree that this sidewalk needs to be opened as soon as possible. Sidewalks around that intersection have been closed on an off since at least May 2007, when I had to find an alternate route.

The makers of this video are not saying "don't do anything about this intersection", they're saying "let's stop this from happening in the future." They made a perfectly good case throughout the video for fixing this sidewalk. But explaining why it needs to be done statewide is a more powerful message that just getting one sidewalk fixed.

by Matt Johnson on Feb 17, 2011 10:09 pm • link • report

*er, August 2007. That was the first time I remember having to detour. Had my dates mixed up.

by Matt Johnson on Feb 17, 2011 10:11 pm • link • report

DISTRICT 3: MONTGOMERY & PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTIES (Greenbelt)
Brian W. Young, District Engineer (301) 513-7311; e-mail: byoung@sha.state.md.us

This is who we supposedly can contact to voice a formal complaint.

by BLee on Feb 18, 2011 12:01 pm • link • report

I remember reading a number of years ago that Silver Spring had one of the highest pedestrian fatality rates in the country. That was before "Silver Sprung" when traffic was not nearly as bad.

Never mind issues surrounding construction - Silver Spring is simply a horribly pedestrian-unfriendly place. Colesville Road? 8 lanes. Georgia Avenue? Six lanes.

It seems their only solution to the problem is to put those annoying beepers on the walk signals. Great - so now the blind population is on the same playing field with everyone else: odds heavily stacked against you.

Every intersection with Georgia and Colesville in the downtown areas needs dedicated pedestrian crossing cycles when cars have a red arrow. I see near-misses from bad drivers failing to yield at turns. And from idiotic pedestrians trying to play frogger with 8 lanes of traffic, too.

They need to accept that this is no longer a place where tumbleweed is seen more often than foot traffic. But about the only thing that's changed in the traffic control situation in twenty years is a lighted crosswalk in front of the Discovery building.

by Jamie on Feb 18, 2011 1:09 pm • link • report

INAL so I am not sure what the legal remedies would be but I guess some sort of class action suite or at least a notice of liability would be in order.

by Barry Childress on Feb 21, 2011 9:25 am • link • report

I fought this issue in DC a few years ago, and we now have (wasn't all me; the DDOT once they got on it played it pretty well, and Jim Graham of the Council was very supportive)good regulations requiring well-constructed sidewalk passageways at construction sites. The change has been dramatic. I have pics from NYC, Madrid (!), and elsewhere showing how it's done, but, then, you just have to go to DC.

by Norman Metzger on Feb 21, 2011 3:04 pm • link • report

walked by again tonight - still no difference :-(
I say we go guerilla - meet up Friday nikght at 8:00pm and move the dang construction barriers back ourselves

by Kathy J on Mar 2, 2011 11:26 pm • link • report

Agreed and great investigation! Silver Spring leaders cannot seem to decide whether it will be a urban or suburban community. The lack of walkability is bad and bikeability is downright shameful. If they want downtown SS to develop as neighborhood, then it's time to decrease lane capacity, build bike lanes, and reduce traffic. Most people passing through downtown still use Colesville and Georgia as commuter lanes.

by TC on Apr 27, 2011 11:15 am • link • report