Six More Weeks of Blasting at Lot 31

Excavation continues at the project site where a public parking garage and two residential developments are under construction.

Six More Weeks of Blasting at Lot 31

Excavation continues at the project site where a public parking garage and two residential developments are under construction.

Construction blasts at Lot 31 are expected to last six more weeks, according to a project update from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. The blasts began on Dec. 5 after crews conducting excavation encountered a level of dense, hard rock. The blasting was halted temporarily Dec. 18 and resumed again in early February. The construction project has taken out a popular Bethesda Row surface parking lot with about 270 spaces. An underground parking garage with 940 public spaces and two mixed-use residential buildings—one five stories, the other nine stories—are planned for the site, located at the intersection of Bethesda and Woodmont avenues on busy Bethesda Row and across the street from Bethesda's iconic Barnes and Noble. …

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Blasting Resumes at Lot 31

Construction work that has left some neighbors rattled is back on again in downtown Bethesda.

After a hiatus, blasting that left some neighbors rattled began again at the Lot 31 construction site last Friday, The Gazette reported. The blasts began on Dec. 5 after crews conducting excavation encountered a level of dense, hard rock, according to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. The blasting was halted temporarily on Dec. 18. Doug Firstenberg, a principal at StonebridgeCarras, told The Gazette that the blasting will continue for another few weeks. Excavation at the site is about 80 percent finished and is expected to be complete in two months, The Gazette reported. The construction project, known as Lot 31, has taken out a popular Bethesda Row surface parking lot with about 270 spaces. An underground parking garage …

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Capital Crescent Trail Re-Opens On Original Path Near Lot 31

Trail users will no longer be detoured near the construction site.

The Capital Crescent Trail has re-opened on its original path near the Lot 31 construction site, according to the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. Trail users were being detoured around the original path as construction crews worked to complete an overhead protection structure on the trail. Now that the overhead strucure has been completed, trail users can once again use the original path. Seeding and mulching alongside the trail has also been completed.

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Downtown Bethesda Construction Blasts To Resume This Month

How has Lot 31 construction affected you?

After a temporary reprieve during the holidays, blasts that some have described as sounding like an earthquake or car crash are set to resume in downtown Bethesda in a couple of weeks as part of construction to make way for a parking garage at the corner of Bethesda and Woodmont Avenues. The blasts began on Dec. 5 after crews conducting excavation encountered a level of dense, hard rock, according to an email from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. Some residents taken aback by the work mistook the blasts for an earthquake, a car hitting a building, and even a meteor strike, The Washington Post reported this month. After a temporary halt Dec. 18, the blasting could begin again in about two weeks, Ken Hartman, Bethesda-Chevy…

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Blasting Halted Temporarily At Lot 31

Blasting at Lot 31 in Bethesda has been halted temporarily, and will begin again in the new year, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center reported.

Update: Blasting Halted Temporarily at Bethesda's Lot 31

Blasting at Lot 31 in Bethesda has been halted temporarily, and will begin again in the new year, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center reported.

Update: Blasting Halted Temporarily at Bethesda's Lot 31

Blasting at Lot 31 in Bethesda has been halted temporarily, and will begin again in the new year, the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center reported.

Update (Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2012): The blasting at Lot 31 has been halted temporarily, according to an email from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. "No further blasting will take place for approximately two weeks," until after Jan. 1, the email reported. "Now Clark Construction is focusing on removing the blasted material, continuing excavation and sheeting and shoring the entire area," the email added. Original story (Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012): Blasting began earlier this month as part of the construction occurring in downtown Bethesda at Lot 31, according to an email from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center. The blasting is part of a project to build a major public parking center in this location (at Bethesda …

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PHOTOS: Woodmont Stretch Closes To Traffic

The long-awaited road closure is now in effect on Bethesda Row.

A stretch of Woodmont Avenue between Bethesda Avenue and Miller Avenue has closed to traffic. The road will be closed for 20 months to allow for the construction of a public parking garage and two residential developments at the intersection. Following delays, the road closed Friday at 9 p.m. Officials are closely monitoring traffic patterns, especially during the morning rush. Since a portion of Woodmont carries traffic one way from north to south, officials predicted morning rush commuters may be most impacted by the closure. On Monday morning, traffic appeared to be routing smoothly around the detour, turning right or left on Bethesda Avenue.

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