Background
Montgomery Parks received $7.5 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program to facilitate access to parks, trails, and other recreational facilities through the Safe & Equitable Access to Parks project. Between 2015 – 2019, 14 out of the 65 of pedestrian or bicyclist fatalities in Montgomery County were within one-third of a mile from just three parks and trails: Sligo Creek Stream Valley Park and trail, Matthew Henson State Park and trail, and Wheaton Regional Park.
This project builds on the Vision Zero 2040 Action Plan to help implement the following Vision Zero strategies from the plan: Safe Trail Crossings (S-8), Frequent, Protected Crossings (S-3), Separated, Low-Stress Facilities (S-7), and Shared Streets (S-15). The projects submitted in the original grant application are targeted around areas with a history of crashes, along the High Injury Road Network, or areas identified in the Planning Department’s predictive safety analysis. Additional information on the Parks SS4A program is available here.
This project is planned for Fiscal Year 2025 and includes traffic calming and road crossing safety improvements along Arcola Avenue, between Nairn Road and Kemp Mill Road. Included is a new sidewalk connection from Arcola Avenue to Wheaton Regional Park along Nairn Road, and a new sidewalk connection from Arcola Avenue to Wheaton Regional Park along Orebaugh Avenue.
The majority of work for WRP-5 will occur within County public right of way, not Parkland. Montgomery County Department of Transportation has partnered with Montgomery County Parks in developing the project.
Project Information
Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) projects are currently in design. Typical scope of improvements for all projects include trail crossing improvements, traffic calming to reduce vehicle speeds, and miscellaneous traffic, utility, and environmental improvements.
Project Improvement Summary
Arcola Avenue and Nairn Road
Proposed improvements at the intersection of Arcola Avenue and Nairn Road include new crosswalks across Arcola Avenue, with widened median refuges to provide additional protection for crosswalk users and enhanced traffic calming (slowing down vehicle speeds). Accessible concrete landings and ramps will also be provided.
Nairn Road Sidewalk
A new 5′ wide sidewalk is proposed on the west side of Nairn Road, connecting Arcola Avenue to the trail entrance of Wheaton Regional Park, with a new crosswalk near Hermitage Avenue. To accommodate the new sidewalk, Nairn Road will be slightly narrowed, which will require an on-street parking restriction (“No Parking”) for one side of Nairn Road.
Arcola Avenue and Orebaugh Avenue
Proposed improvements at the intersection of Arcola Avenue and Orebaugh Avenue include a new crosswalk across Arcola Avenue, with a widened median refuge to provide additional protection for crosswalk users and enhanced traffic calming (slowing down vehicle speeds). Accessible concrete landings and ramps will also be provided.
Orebaugh Avenue Sidewalk
A new sidewalk is proposed on the west side of Orebaugh Avenue, connecting Arcola Avenue to the entrance of Wheaton Regional Park. The sidewalk is predominantly 8′ wide narrowing to 5′ as needed to avoid conflicts with existing utilities and structures. The width of Orebaugh Avenue will be slightly reduced to construct the sidewalk. Parallel parking on Orebaugh Avenue will be maintained on both sides. A speed table is also proposed along Orebaugh Avenue to slow vehicle traffic.