PARKING LOT CLOSURES BEGIN SEPTEMBER 24

On Wednesday, September 24, several of the parking lots around Building 31 will close (for details, see the notice attached below).  This is the first step in the closures that you have been reading and hearing so much about.  Replacement parking will consist of stacked parking in all remaining available lots, with the largest number of new spaces added in the Bldg. 41 parking lot at the south edge of campus. Handicapped spots near Building 31 will be preserved.

As a result of this first round of parking changes, many more people will be parking farther from the northeast corner of the campus. This will mean that many more pedestrians will be crossing the campus to reach their labs, offices, and cars. We are concerned about the effect this could have on vehicular traffic if pedestrians cross NIH streets one-by-one in a continuous stream rather than waiting, gathering in clusters, and allowing traffic to move between bunches of pedestrians. To address the problem, there will be guards at the major pedestrian crossings to help control vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and at all other crossings we urge pedestrians to  “Go Bananas”-that is, to cross in bunches.

Two other (preferable) options are also available.  One is to take the express shuttle from parking lot #41. This departs every 10 minutes and will deliver you directly to Building 31 or Building 10.  The other option is to use the 400 available parking spaces at the Mid-Pike Plaza (in front of “Toys ‘R Us”) and take the express shuttle, which departs every 15 minutes and delivers you directly to Buildings 31 and 10, with limited stops at 45.  There are also 200 free spaces at Twinbrook Metro. Park here and take the Metro to NIH-a free ride if you sign up for Transhare. The NIH radio station, 1610 AM, will have up-to-the-minute campus parking information. Please tune in as you approach NIH.

Below are details about all of the parking changes taking place on Wednesday.

Michael Gottesman, M.D.

Deputy Director for Intramural Research

Chair, ad hoc Parking Advisory Committee

 

 

NIH TRAFFIC/PARKING ADVISORY

 

Lot 31E was closed to parking beginning Monday, September 22.

On Wednesday, September 24, construction activity will start and will impact more parking in the northeast corner of the campus.

Construction activity includes the following projects:

1)The Storm Water Management Facility-part of the CRC construction project

2)A new multi-level parking garage-part of the Building 33 Complex

3)    Sections of the Perimeter Security Fence/Vehicle Entrance Gates atNorth Drive

 

These projects will force the closure or partial closure of several parking lots and will change traffic patterns as described below.

To see a map of the areas impacted, please visit: http://www.nih.gov/od/ors/security/northeast.htm

 

Parking Lots to be CLOSED on September 24:

Lot 31E - Located at the intersection of East Drive and North Drive

Lot 31G - Located adjacent to Rockville Pike at North Drive

Lot 31J - Located adjacent to North Drive and Lot 31D

 

Parking Lot to be PARTIALLY CLOSED on September 24:

Lot 31C - This lot is located between East Drive and Garden Lane.  Approximately seventy-five (75) spaces will remain open for all employees with NIH Parking Permits to use during this construction phase.  Access to this segment will be via Garden Drive.

 

Parking Lot ACCESS CHANGED on September 24:

Lot 31D - We expect this lot will remain open until October 20, 2003. You must access this lot through a new travel lane being constructed from East Drive.

Lots 31F and H:  These lots are adjacent to Rockville Pike.  Entrance and exit these lots through North Drive at Rockville Pike ONLY. Pedestrians walking from this lot must use Wilson Drive to access the to rest of campus.

 

Campus Access CHANGED on September 24:

North Drive at Rockville Pike - Employees may NOT enter or exit the campus through this entrance. North Drive will ONLY provide access to Lots 31F and H. When exiting these lots onto northbound Rockville Pike, please exercise caution! The NIH Police will monitor traffic exiting from North Drive and make any needed adjustments.

Garden Lane at Cedar Lane - this employee entrance and exit will be CLOSED to traffic.  Employees will be required to enter through the employee only entrances located on Rockville Pike or Old Georgetown Road.

Zelkova Lane at Cedar Lane - this residential area entrance and exit will be CLOSED to traffic from Cedar Lane (outside of the Perimeter Security Fence). Residents must enter the Quarters area via West Drive or Zelkova Lane from North Drive.

 

New Roadway OPENED on September 24:

Portions of North Drive inside the Perimeter Security Fence-This road has been re-opened to allow vehicles to enter Lot 31B and a portion of Lot 31C from inside the campus. Access is via Center Drive across from the CRC.

Once the Bldg. 31 lots begin to close, please consider using alternative methods of transportation if you aren’t doing this already. For employees who cannot use parking alternatives, NIH will be adding some on-campus parking:

Some replacement parking WILL BE ADDED on September 24: 

Added Stacked Parking - lots with added stacked parking are shown on the parking map: http://www.ors.od.nih.gov/orf/parking/parkinglots.cfm

 

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For more information, please see the NIH Ad Hoc Parking Advisory Committee web page at: http://parking.nih.gov/. This site lists measures to offset the parking losses, including additional stacking of parking on-campus, additional satellite spaces, and enhanced shuttle service. For questions or comments regarding this advisory, please contact the ORS Information Line at mailto:orsinfo@mail.nih.gov or at 301-594-6677.