Georgia Ave Improvement Plan Achieves Key Milestone

December 1, 2025 / Anna White

By Geoff Gerhardt

On Thursday, September 4, state and local leaders gathered in Montgomery Hills to announce that the project to make long-awaited improvements to Georgia Avenue is now fully funded.

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Draft Fiscal Year 2026–2031 Consolidated Transportation Program allocates funds needed to complete the $50.8 million Georgia Avenue project. Final design is complete, right-of-way acquisitions and utility relocations are underway, and construction will begin in spring 2028.

In announcing funding for the project, State Highway Administrator William Pines said, “[The State Highway Administration] is excited to see this important safety project advance, bringing improvements that will enhance safety, connectivity, and accessibility for all highway users. The partnership with the community has been critical to moving this project forward and we look forward to coming back to celebrate its completion.”

For more than 40 years, plans have circulated to transform Georgia Ave. in Montgomery Hills into a tree-lined boulevard that feels like a neighborhood street, not a highway cutting through the middle of the surrounding neighborhoods. For decades, those plans stalled. The heart of Montgomery Hills is too often treated as a place to drive through rather than a destination to walk, bike, gather, and shop.

When complete, the reimagined Georgia Avenue corridor will:

link to community assets—improved walking and biking access will make it easier for residents to connect with local businesses, Forest Glen Metro, downtown Silver Spring, nearby schools, and eventually the Purple Line.
be safer for everyone—replacement of the reversible lane with a median, improved sidewalks, and protected
cycle lane will make traveling along the corridor easier and safer whether you’re on foot, on a bike, in a wheel
chair, or in a car.
support local businesses—a more attractive, walkable environment invites people to stop, linger, and shop locally.
space for a community park—realigning southbound 16th St. will make room to develop a new neighborhood park.
create a sense of place—with trees, wider sidewalks, and space for people, Georgia Avenue will become the kind of main street that strengthens neighborhood identity.

This is a landmark moment for Montgomery Hills. After decades of waiting, the vision of a tree-lined boulevard that connects rather than divides is finally within reach. The progress we have seen on this project is due in large part to community input and activism, including strong support from residents of North Woodside and the North Woodside Citizens’ Association.

Fancy Cakes & Patisserie by Selam Anniversary Celebration

November 18, 2025 / Anna White

Fancy Cakes & Patisserie by Selam invites North Woodside neighbors to a one year anniversary celebration this Sunday, November 23, from 3-7pm. Free drinks and pastries.

Neighborhood Featured in Washington Post Article

September 18, 2025September 18, 2025 / Anna White

North Woodside and two of its residents, Geoff Gerhardt and Gus Bauman, were featured in a Washington Post article this week on the neighborhoods surrounding the busy Georgia Ave. corrider:

Montgomery Hills’ leafy neighborhoods contrast with busy Georgia Ave.
Where We Live | Five communities share the benefits and challenges of suburban life near an urban thoroughfare.
By Barbara Ruben, September 17, 2025

Access the article for a limited time here.

Georgia Ave. Update: $8.1 Million in New Funding for Montgomery Hills

February 5, 2025February 10, 2025 / Anna White

By Geoff Gerhardt

In a significant development for Montgomery Hills and its surrounding neighborhoods, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) successfully secured $8.1 million in additional funding for the Montgomery Hills Reconstruction project. This funding adjustment increases the programmed amount for the project to $30.1 million, up from $22 million; thanks to cost optimizations, the total project cost was reduced to $52.7 million, down from $57.1 million.

While this funding is not sufficient to complete construction of the Georgia Avenue Safety and Accessibility Project improvements, our sources tell us it should be sufficient to fund the work planned for the next couple of years—obtaining right-of-way acquisitions and utility relocation. We are hoping that MDOT’s push for this funding also demonstrates its commitment to the project once there is a need to allocate additional construction funds to finish the project.

The Montgomery Hills project is a reconstruction effort aimed at enhancing safety, reducing congestion caused by the Beltway interchanges, and improving the overall usability and aesthetic appeal of this heavily traveled corridor:

Upgraded pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure
Enhanced traffic flow through intersection and Beltway interchange redesigns
Relocated utility obstructions and improved stormwater management systems

Special thanks go to the Maryland District 18 and District 20 Delegations for their unwavering support in securing this funding. In particular, Delegate Jared Solomon’s tireless advocacy and persistent efforts were instrumental in ensuring the availability of these critical resources. Their dedication to the community and commitment to improving our transportation infrastructure have made this progress possible. With the support of residents of North Woodside, neighborhood organizations will continue working with policymakers and MDOT officials to secure the remainder of the funding needed for this vital project.

For more information see Friends of Montgomery Hills.

Support the Montgomery Hills Street Fest!

March 16, 2023May 26, 2023 / Anna White

The Montgomery Hills Street Fest is officially rescheduled! Please mark your calendar to join us!

WHEN: Saturday, April 29, 2023,
from 3:00 -7:00 pm

WHERE: on Columbia Boulevard,
between 16th Street and Seminary Road

There will be music, games, artisans, food, drinks, elected officials, and information about the progress and next steps required to #FixGeorgiaAvenue!

There are 4 ways you can help!

1. DONATE! Click on this Link to Donate to our Go Fund Me! Last fall, we had a tremendous response to our fundraising request! We are looking for additional donations to cover Street Fest costs and pay our “Hurricane Ian Tax.” These are costs we had to incur by canceling the fest in October. We appreciate your support and will be sure to list your name on the Street Fest website.

4. VOLUNTEER! The Street Fest is a volunteer-driven event and we need folks to help with set up, clean up, and serve as “street marshals” to help keep things safe during the Fest. Please visit the Montgomery Hills Street Fest website to sign up to volunteer.

2. SHOWCASE OUR COMMUNITY! If you know of artisans, local businesses and food vendors, community groups, etc. who would like to showcase their work at the Street Fest, please fill out this form.

3. VISIT OUR WEBSITE Find out why we fest and see which bands, vendors, activities, elected officials and sponsors will be at the fest. Go to the Montgomery Hills Street Fest website. Let’s get together to #FixGeorgiaAve.

Thank you for your support! We look forward to seeing you at the Montgomery Hills Street Fest on Saturday, April 29th!

— Montgomery Hills Street Fest Planning Committee

Montgomery Hills Street Fest Postponed to Spring 2023

September 28, 2022March 16, 2023 / Anna White

From the Montgomery Hills Planning Committee:

Today, we made the hard decision to CANCEL the Montgomery Hills Street Fest. While we could deal with light rain, the forecast is calling for heavy rain and high winds, and therefore we are postponing the Fest until Spring 2023. While Ian is dampening our fun, our thoughts are first and foremost with those in the wake of the storm.

Here is our plan going forward:

Don’t head to the Fest, instead head to Denizens and join us at the ‘Ian Can’t Defeat Us‘ Meet-up from 3 pm until 6 pm
Order food from Meleket and Nothing Bundt Cakes, both of these local businesses planned to sell and share food at the Street Fest, let’s show them our support!
Come to First Fridays! They’re BACK – look for upcoming information about November and December dates at MoHills restaurants
Montgomery Hills Business Roundtable – coming this fall!
2023 MH Street Fest Take 2 – Stay tuned for the date

Unfortunately, canceling the Fest means that we lose a significant amount of the funding we raised because we are obligated to still pay for the tents, tables, chairs, sound equipment, and porta-potties we rented. We are grateful to our generous donors — without whom we could not have a Fest. Once we have paid all non-refundable costs, we will bank the remaining funds for use for a 2023 Spring Street Fest. All donors will be recognized for the future Fest.

Thank you for donating your time to volunteer and money to support the Street Fest! Everyone is welcome to join us at Denizens to celebrate our wonderful community where we all get to live and work and commit to making the Georgia Avenue corridor a safe, pleasant, and vibrant place to be!

Speed Limit Lowered on Georgia Ave

July 18, 2022July 18, 2022 / Anna White

By Michelle Desiderio Foster

The first of the long-awaited Georgia Ave. improvements in Montgomery Hills was implemented recently when the State Highway Administration (SHA) lowered the speed limit to 30 mph (from 35 mph) on Georgia Ave. from Spring St. to Wheaton. This speed limit was recommended in the Planning Department’s Montgomery Hills/Forest Glen Sector Plan adopted a few years ago. The speed reduction was just one of the significant improvements proposed for the corridor, including a green median, removal of the unsafe reversible lanes, wider sidewalks, a cycle track on the west side of the road, pedestrian-safety enhancements, a reconfigured Beltway interchange, and a new traffic light at Flora Lane.

A completed SHA design is expected by the end of 2022. Funding has been allocated for most of the necessary right-of-way acquisitions, and the county and state are cooperating to secure funds for utility relocation and construction. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen secured one million dollars in federal funding for the project in the recent infrastructure bill that Congress approved. Utility relocation could start as early as January 2024. State Delegates Jared Solomon and Lorig Charkoudian have worked tirelessly on this project to ensure that it continues to move forward and to secure necessary funding.

State delegates Al Carr, Lorig Charkoudian, Jared Solomon and State Highway Administration employees pose near the new speed limit sign on Georgia Ave. *Photo by Michelle Desiderio Foster*

This article first ran in the Spring 2022 issue of the Beacon.

Progress Continues Towards Improving the Georgia Avenue Corridor

February 7, 2020April 20, 2021 / Anna White

By Geoff Gerhardt, Vice President

Following the Montgomery County Planning Board’s approval of the Forest Glen-Montgomery Hills Sector Plan in September, the County Council began the process of considering the plan. NWCA President David Cox and Vice President Geoff Gerhardt testified in support of the sector plan at a County Council hearing in November. Council committees are holding working sessions on the plan, and the full Council is scheduled to vote on it later this winter. Meanwhile, the State Highway Administration is making slow but steady progress on its plan for overhauling Georgia Avenue between 16th St. and Forest Glen Rd. Earlier this year, the state announced it had selected a version of the plan, known as Alternative 5B Modified.

This plan would bring wider sidewalks, protected bicycle track, and a landscaped median with dedicated left turn lanes to Georgia Ave. The plan would also make improvements to the Beltway interchange and eliminate the southbound “slip lane” at 16th St., creating a traditional “T” intersection instead.

The SHA plan is currently at the 30 percent design stage. This fall, the Federal Highway Administration gave preliminary approval to Alternative 5B Modified, which allows design and engineering efforts to move forward. Redesign plans for Georgia Ave. could be finalized by SHA by the end of this year.

However, much work remains to be done to secure construction funding for the project, which is estimated at $35–$40 million. In November, Geoff Gerhardt testified at a hearing of state senators and delegates representing Montgomery County in support of state funding for the project.

In addition, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation listed Georgia Ave. as its highest priority highway project in a draft letter to Maryland Department of Transportation. The final letter is scheduled to be sent to Maryland DOT this spring. Assuming it’s finalized, placement of Georgia Ave. at the top of the county’s transportation priorities list will be a huge victory—due in large part to letters and emails sent by residents of North Woodside. Thank you!