Location
Alexandria, VA
Status
Ongoing
Client
Montgomery County, Maryland Department of Transportation
The Montgomery County Department of Transportation is constructing two major additions to the intersection between the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center that will drastically improve pedestrian access between these two facilities and better connect them to the Medical Center Metrorail Station. KGP has been hired as the architect of the design-build team led by Clark Construction to finish the construction drawings and provide construction administration support through the completion of the project. The project includes a new pedestrian tunnel connecting both sides of Rockville Pike to new pedestrian plazas, along with a new 130’ deep high-speed elevator shaft and connector tunnel for the Medical Center Metrorail Station. With bedrock only 30’ below grade, the remaining 100’ of this shaft will be blasted and lifted out. Once the bottom is reached a 70’ long tunnel will be mined to reach the existing station vault and make the breakthrough for the new station addition. The design of this new station elevator lobby and the elevator headhouses at grade are designed to match Metro design standards and the aesthetics developed by KGP during the nearly identical addition at the Rosslyn Metrorail station.
In an effort to further improve pedestrian access between these facilities and provide safe crossing across Rockville Pike, KGP has designed and developed construction drawings for a new pedestrian tunnel operated by Montgomery County. The new 150’ long x 27’ wide x 25’ deep pedestrian tunnel threads the needle between a myriad of existing underground utilities and a Metrorail Traction Power Sub-station. The pedestrian tunnel is accessed on either side of the street from the new plazas via 2 elevators and an exterior stair with bike runnels ensuring pedestrians’ safety, security, and ease of travel. The design of the pedestrian tunnel will differ aesthetically from the Metro Station elevator headhouse so that the two facilities may be easily differentiated.