This project provides for the replacement of the existing Dennis Avenue Bridge M-0194 over a tributary to Sligo Creek. The existing bridge, built in 1961, is a single 30-foot span structure composed of pre-stressed concrete voided slab beams carrying a 24-foot roadway, two six-foot shoulders, and two 4'-8" sidewalks. The proposed replacement bridge will be a 75-foot span structure carrying a 24-foot roadway, two six-foot shoulders, a 13-foot shared-use path on the north side and a seven-foot sidewalk on the south side, for a total clear bridge width of 56 feet. The project includes approach roadway work at each end of the bridge as necessary to tie into the existing roadway and sidewalks. The bridge will be closed to traffic during construction. Accelerated bridge construction techniques will be utilized to minimize the disruption to the traveling public and local community.

The roadway Average Daily Traffic (ADT) is approximately 14,000 and the roadway capacity will not change as a result of this project.

The design of the project is expected to finish in the spring of 2021. The land acquisition is projected in FY21. The construction is scheduled to start in June 2022 and be completed in September 2022. The bridge will be closed to traffic during the school summer break of 2022.

The proposed replacement work will mitigate the frequent flooding of five residential properties and local streets upstream of the bridge; mitigate occasional roadway flooding on Dennis Avenue that causes significant traffic delays; and eliminate annual maintenance repairs required for this deteriorating structure. The existing bridge is rapidly deteriorating and is nearing the end of its estimated service life.

The May 1989 Kensington-Wheaton Master Plan designates Dennis Avenue as Arterial Road (A-59) with a minimum right-of-way of 80 feet. The December 2018 Montgomery County Bicycle Master Plan recommends a sidepath (shared use path) on the north side. Streetlights, crosswalks, sidewalk ramps, bikeways, and other pertinent issues are being considered in the design of the project to ensure pedestrian safety.

A pedestrian impact analysis has been completed for this project.

Federal Highway Administration - Federal Aid Bridge Replacement/Rehabilitation Program, Maryland State Highway Administration, Maryland Department of the Environment, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, Montgomery County Department of Permitting Services, Montgomery County Public School, Montgomery County Police Department, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services, Montgomery County Ride On Bus, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Utilities, and Wheaton Regional Dam Flooding Mitigation (CIP Project #801710).