* Construction of NIH Gateway Center Underway
* Pedestrian Routes to Change
* NIH Shuttle Service Added
* Metro Station To Remain Open at All Times
* Rear Entrance to Natcher Open
Construction is beginning on a new NIH Gateway Center for the Bethesda campus.
The Center will provide a central location for registering and orienting visitors and provide additional parking spaces outside the secured perimeter of campus. The NIH Gateway Center will be an integral component of the Perimeter Security System and will consist of three facilities: (1) a visitor/guest registration and badging center (Building 66); (2) an underground parking garage for 350 cars (MLP-11); (3) a visitor vehicle inspection station (Building 66A).
The NIH Gateway Center will be located adjacent to the Medical Center Metro Station at the South Drive entrance to campus from Rockville Pike/Wisconsin Avenue (Route 355).
During construction, pedestrian routes leading towards Natcher (Bldg. 45), the National Library of Medicine (Bldg. 38), and other buildings in this area will be impacted. The existing pedestrian path beginning near the Metro and leading towards Natcher will be closed.
To accommodate pedestrian traffic during construction, the following measures will begin starting Monday, July 25:
1) New Shuttle Service -- an enhanced shuttle service will be added for the Natcher Building (Bldg. 45) and the National Library of Medicine (Bldg. 38).
The existing “Campus Express” route will be renamed the “Campus Limited” route and will add new stops at the Metro, Buildings 45 and 38. This shuttle will pick up and drop off Metro/bus passengers at the new shuttle loop inside the fence. To review the full schedule for the new Campus Limited route, please visit the NIH Shuttle webpage at:
http://dtts.ors.od.nih.gov/NIHShuttle/scripts/shuttle_map_live.asp
2) New Pedestrian Pathway -- A new pedestrian pathway beginning next to the temporary NIH Gateway Center will connect to existing pathways leading to Natcher, NLM and nearby buildings. An existing pedestrian pathway is also available along Rockville Pike.
3) Rear Entrance to Natcher Open -- the rear entrance to the Natcher Conference Center will open for NIH employees during normal business hours. However, all visitors still need to enter Natcher using the front entrance.
For a map providing an overview of the area under construction including the new Campus Limited Shuttle stop and the new pedestrian pathway, please visit:
http://dtts.ors.od.nih.gov/gateway_map.htm
The Medical Center Metro Station will remain open at all times during construction. For bicycle commuters -- there will be no loss of existing bicycle racks at the Metro.
The NIH Gateway Center construction will last approximately two years and is expected to be completed in Summer 2007. The Office of Research Services (ORS) is partnering with the Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations
(ORF) to provide information on this major construction project.
The ORS and ORF would like to remind employees that safety and minimizing disruption to the work life are primary goals. Please use caution when walking or cycling through this area, as well as throughout the campus. Remember, at some point throughout the day, we all become a pedestrian.
Tune your radios to 1660 AM for further NIH traffic, parking and security advisories. For questions, please contact the ORS Information Line at orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or 301-594-6677, TTY - 301-435-1908.