Beach Drive Open Parkway - Friday Alternatives Input

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, currently operates the Beach Drive Open Parkway Program between Cedar Ln and Knowles Ave, starting at 9:00 AM Friday through Sunday evening. During Open Parkways, Beach Drive is closed to motor vehicles and open to people walking, biking, and rolling.

The Open Parkway originally started at 9:00 AM Friday and was shifted to Saturday morning in order to alleviate neighborhood cut-through traffic issues along Culver St. In June of 2024, the Planning Board approved a proposal from Montgomery Parks to eliminate the 0.7 mile portion between Cedar Lane and Connecticut Avenue to eliminate Culver St cut-through traffic and restore the original start time of 9:00 AM Friday. The Planning Board directed Montgomery Parks to monitor Open Parkway usage and traffic impacts over the following year and report back with an update. 

Montgomery Parks presented an update to the Planning Board on June 13, 2025, and is currently seeking feedback on preferred modifications to the Open Parkway schedule to minimize vehicular travel times, local traffic, and other impacts of Friday closures. There are several options under consideration. Please indicate how favorably you view each option and provide any additional comments.

Comments are open through August 24, 2025.