Lot 31 Excavation Work Pushed Back To January

Excavation work for Lot 31, a major public parking garage construction project slated for the corner of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues, has been pushed back to January of 2012.

called for launching excavation work this fall.

The construction of the garage will require a 20-month closure of a portion of Woodmont Avenue south of Bethesda Avenue, and will also mean the loss of a 270-space surface parking lot currently at the corner, exacerbating Bethesda’s parking woes.

The new timeframe means that the Woodmont closure won’t begin until January – after the holiday shopping season. Merchants in the area have raised concerns that the construction could impact business.

However, some spots in the surface lot may be out of commission as soon as November with utility work beginning on the project, according to Ken Hartman, director of the

The $86 million parking garage was originally intended to have about 1,450 private and public spots, but the to 1,150 to The project includes residential and retail buildings on the east and west sides of Woodmont, south of Bethesda Avenue. The building on the east side of Woodmont will be nine stories high with 88 units, and the building on the west side will be five stories high with 162 units.

Some of those spots would be reserved for private residential parking, so the total number of public spots would likely be around 800. Initially, the estimate for public spots was just under 1,150.

Officials are working on a public information rollout to inform drivers about alternate parking options during Lot 31 construction.