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Parts of Wisconsin Avenue, Rockville Pike get temporary bus lanes for upcoming Red Line shuttles

Metro stations between Friendship Heights and North Bethesda to close July 6 for summer construction work Motorists driving on state Route 355 from Friendship Heights to North Bethesda may notice that white lines marking bus lanes have been striped...

Dan Murphy • •4 min read
Parts of Wisconsin Avenue, Rockville Pike get temporary bus lanes for upcoming Red Line shuttles
Transportation

Parts of Wisconsin Avenue, Rockville Pike get temporary bus lanes for upcoming Red Line shuttles

Metro stations between Friendship Heights and North Bethesda to close July 6 for summer construction work

By

Elia Griffin

June 9, 2026 4:17 p.m.

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    Bus lanes on Wisconsin Avenue between Friendship Heights and downtown Bethesda. Photo credit: Elia Griffin

    Motorists driving on state Route 355 from Friendship Heights to North Bethesda may notice that white lines marking bus lanes have been striped onto several sections of the state road in preparation for shuttles that will transport Metro Red Line riders this summer.

    Starting July 6, the Red Line Metro Rail between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights will be closed for two months for major construction work. During the closure, which is expected to last until Sept. 6, the Bethesda, Medical Center and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations will be closed and inaccessible, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

    Free shuttle buses will replace trains at the three stations during the closure. The buses will travel in the temporary bus lanes, which were installed by the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).

    Charlie Gischlar, SHA deputy director of media relations, confirmed to Bethesda Today on Tuesday morning that installation of the bus lanes is complete. Drivers can continue to use the bus lanes until the Red Line closure begins July 6.

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    According to the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) project page, 7.5 lane-miles of the temporary bus lanes have been added to the right travel lane along Route 355 in both directions, which is also known as Wisconsin Avenue from Friendship Heights through Bethesda and Rockville Pike in North Bethesda and Rockville.

    Use of the bus lanes, signified by solid white lines and the occasional words “BUS LANE” painted on the pavement, will be in effect from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday to Saturday during the Red Line closure, according to MDOT.

    Emily DeTitta, spokesperson for the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, said Friday in an email to Bethesda Today that the transportation department, along with the MDOT and WMATA, will be “closely monitoring the bus lanes over the summer months and may make changes if needed.”

    The use of the bus lanes will also be evaluated to determine if some sections along Route 355 should become permanent, she said.

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    “There are currently no plans to extend the lanes, and any extension would be done with community involvement,” DeTitta said.

    Only the northern section of the bus lanes, from Marinelli Road to the Capital Beltway, will be evaluated to determine if they should become permanent, according to MDOT. Safety, bus speeds and reliability, as well as vehicle speeds and travel delays, will be part of that evaluation.

    “Data will be published, and input from residents, businesses and others will inform future decisions,” MDOT says on its project webpage. “A possible extension of the pilot may be implemented to allow evaluation during more typical conditions, without a Metro Rail shutdown, and when schools are in session.”

    The southern section of bus lanes, from Woodmont Avenue to Western Avenue, will only be in place for the Red Line closure, according to MDOT.

    The “level of bus service is insufficient to warrant consideration of permanent bus lanes” in that stretch, the project webpage said.

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    Construction work

    The construction work planned for the Red Line closure includes creating a second mezzanine at the Bethesda Metro station to integrate the Red Line with the upcoming Purple Line.

    The Purple Line — a 21-station light-rail line stretching 16 miles from Bethesda to New Carrollton in Prince George’s County — is expected to open in 2027. The line will connect riders to Metro’s Red, Green and Orange lines, as well as to MARC, Amtrak and local bus services.

    The Bethesda mezzanine is a key and complex part of the Purple Line project that will facilitate the transfer of passengers from Metro trains to the light-rail line. Issues with its construction have contributed to the escalating cost of the Purple Line, which could top $300 million, according to Purple Line officials.

    Summer construction on the Red Line will also include platform rehabilitation at the Grosvenor-Strathmore station. That work includes replacing slab edges and tiles, adding new lighting, and “modifying drainage,” according to WMATA. In addition, construction crews will replace the raised railway across Rockville Pike between the Grosvenor-Strathmore and Medical Center stations.

    Shuttle service

    Free shuttle service will be available to commuters with express service between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights and local shuttle service at all the stations, according to WMATA. All shuttle services will be accessible to passengers with physical disabilities.

    Details about the locations of shuttle stops at the impact Metro stations can be found at this link.

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    Originally published at Bethesdamagazine