County Opens Roads to Pedestrians in Aspen Hill, Silver Spring

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation announced Friday that it would transform roadways in Aspen Hill and Silver Spring into “neighborhood greenways” to provide additional outdoor space for pedestrians and cyclists amid the pandemic.

The announcement is the latest county initiative to open up roadways and streets to accommodate social distancing measures.

@MCDOTNow Director Chris Conklin is speaking now about the #MoCoSharedStreets program in Aspen Hill. pic.twitter.com/chaaD92ob4

— mococommuter (@mococommuter) June 19, 2020

“Our engineers and planners have been developing neighborhood greenway concepts for some time and now we are excited to use those plans to create immediate relief for our residents seeking more space for biking, walking and other active uses of neighborhood streets,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin.

As part of the initiative, a 1.2 mile stretch along Holdridge Road, from Olympic Street to Urbana Drive in Aspen Hill, and a half mile area along Grove Street, from Bonifant Street to Sligo Avenue in Silver Spring, will close temporarily beginning Friday and limit road traffic to local and emergency vehicles.

The department has installed signs around the areas to inform residents of temporary changes.

About Samantha Subin

Samantha Subin was a summer 2020 intern with Montgomery Community Media. At the time she was a rising senior at the University of Maryland, majoring in Multiplatform Journalism with a minor in General Business. Follow her on Twitter @samantha_subin

View all posts by Samantha Subin