WMATA, SHA and county outline shuttle, outreach and TDM plans for July Red Line shutdown

WMATA and partner agencies told Montgomery County’s Transportation & Environment Committee on March 2 that a planned Red Line shutdown set for July 6 through Sept. 6 will close Metrorail service between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights for platform and aerial-structure work tied to a new southern access point for the Purple Line at Bethesda station. Metro said the corridor carries about 46,000 Metrorail trips per weekday, with roughly 3,000 riders at peak times.

The agencies outlined mitigation measures intended to reduce commuter disruption. WMATA said it will run local and express shuttle buses during Metrorail service hours — local shuttles serving the five closed stations and express shuttles running between the closure endpoints — and is targeting shuttle headways of about five to eight minutes. Metro also encouraged riders to consider MARC and other transit partners and said Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures such as telework encouragement and carpool coordination will be part of the strategy.

The State Highway Administration cautioned that Maryland Route 355 (Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Avenue) is heavily traveled and that auto and bus travel times across some scenarios could rise substantially; SHA told the committee curbside parking impacts are expected to be limited to roughly 160 on‑street spaces in Bethesda/Friendship Heights but that coordination with businesses will be important. Montgomery County DOT said it is pursuing multimodal options including signed bike routes, fare reductions on Capital Bikeshare and additional park‑and‑ride support to encourage alternatives to single‑occupancy driving.

Metro’s community‑engagement team said it will use press releases, social media, paid advertising and local stakeholders (including the Bethesda Urban Partnership and Bethesda Transportation Solutions) to distribute information and scheduled a mid‑April community meeting (location to be determined). Metro said a project website is live and will be updated with current information.

Committee members said lessons from prior shutdowns — especially early, interagency planning and rapid mid‑project adjustments — are informing the response. Councilmembers pressed agencies on signage and enforcement for any temporary bus lanes, whether coach buses would be deployed for longer direct trips, and whether direct downtown routes would be offered; Metro and the county said planning has considered several alternatives and that Friendship Heights as a transfer point was deemed the most efficient routing option so far.

The committee did not take a formal vote specific to the WMATA briefing; agencies said they will continue refining shuttle operations, traffic signal timing and outreach in coordination with county and state partners.