|
|
Transportation
in Rockville
(page
5 of 5)
Click on the images below to enlarge them
|
|
| Rockville
Pike in the 20th Century (continued)
In
the 20th century, the Pike revived as a 2-lane paved
road. By 1929, there were 13,000 cars in
Montgomery County and Montgomery Avenue had been
paved, but less-traveled roads like Veirs Mill
remained dirt for decades. The Pike expanded to
4 lanes in 1957 and is now a major 6-lane
thoroughfare. |
By the
1980s, retail and commercial development along the Pike had drawn shoppers away from Town Center,
upsetting Rockville's original Urban Renewal hopes and
causing the city to rethink the entire design.
Incorporators of the Washington
Turnpike Company would be pleased to learn that
today's Rockville Pike is called the "Golden
Mile," second only to Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles
in gross sales per square foot of leasable retail
space. |
The
Rockville Bypass
Traffic and parking plagued merchants in Rockville since the
1930s. The original Maryland Route 240 came up
the Pike and through the heart of Town Center until
the town convinced the State to build the Rockville
Bypass and separate local traffic from through-traffic
in 1951. Re-named Hungerford Drive in 1952, the
bypass still does its job.
|
 |
<< View from the top of the General Electric Building
(now Gateway Tower)
where Washington Street
joins Hungerford Drive (Route 355). The
Hechinger building was demolished and the site redeveloped
by Giant
Foods.
Dated 1988, photograph by Richard Andrews (RA1990.012) |
Interstate
270
After WWII, federal and state officials designed a
limited access highway to evacuate federal officials
in case of an attack on Washington, D.C. Known
as the Washington National Pike, or National Bypass,
the road was part of the National System of Interstate
and Defense Highways connecting major cities and
creating an escape route if necessary.
Washington
National Pike (running between Washington, D.C. and
Frederick) was completed in 1957 when the section
between Pooks Hill and Shady Grove was
connected. The highway has changed designations several
times, becoming the new U.S. route 240, then 70-South,
and finally Interstate-270.
Today
the I-270 corridor is packed with commuters traveling
between Frederick and Washington Counties to Washington,
D.C., trucks hauling goods along the East Coast and
across the country, and manufacturing facilities and
office building. Can I-270 still function as an
"escape route?" There has not been a
major weather evacuation, and the terrorist attack of
September 11, 2001, highlighted multi-jurisdictional
problems in coordinating communications and
planning. Think about the last time you took
I-270 in rush hour!
|
|
Southbound
Metrorail
train passing near the Edmonston Drive bridge.
Rockville
Town Center
buildings and historic Saint Mary's Church are in the
distance.
Dated 2000, photograph by Dean Evangelista.
>> |
 |
|
Metrorail
In 1984, Metro's Red Line extended to Rockville and
Shady Grove. Metrorail stations are now regional
hubs of transportation connecting MARC commuter
trains, Amtrak trains, National Airport and several
national bus stations. WMATA (Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority) and Ride-On buses
transport passengers to and from major destinations to
Metro stations and to connecting bus routes. And
to think that Rockville was originally planned to be
the end of the Red Line!
Transportation
issues continue to shape Rockville and the region as
increased emissions damage our environment and more
cars jam our roadways. Calls to end gridlock,
debates over building new roads and more mass transit,
and concerns about sprawl
affect all of us who live and work in Rockville and
dominate local politics. |
|
|
Page 1
|
Page 2
| Page 3
|
Page 4
|
|
