For now, the Capital Crescent Trail crosses downtown Bethesda at street level, and that could last for years. The old tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue is gone. A replacement tunnel was designed and then deferred. This October, the route that carries trail traffic from Bethesda Avenue to Elm Street Park is made of separated bike lanes, signalized crossings and a new path along 47th Street. On the official maps, the part that still looks unfinished is the eastern half of the trail toward Silver Spring, and its completion date has moved more than once.

The Tunnel That Became a Station

For most of the trail's life, riders went under Wisconsin Avenue. According to the Coalition for the Capital Crescent Trail, the Purple Line's Bethesda terminus station now fills that tunnel completely. The Coalition also says the Maryland Department of Transportation told Montgomery County that a trail tunnel cannot be squeezed into the space that remains.

The county planned a replacement. MCDOT's design called for a passage of roughly 1,000 feet starting at 7272 Wisconsin Avenue, running under Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street, and coming out on the surface trail in Elm Street Park. The cost estimate kept climbing. The Coalition cites a January 2023 Washington Post report that it rose to $82.5 million from $55 million, and it now writes that "it looks less and less likely that a replacement tunnel will be built." Part of the tunnel was built anyway, up to the west edge of Wisconsin Avenue, as part of the deal for The Wilson and The Elm.

Montgomery Parks puts the decision plainly. Funding for the tunnel "was delayed beyond the current funding cycle," so MCDOT "elected to proceed with the surface route option through and alongside Elm Street Park." The surface route is the plan of record, and no current county page gives a construction date for the tunnel.

The Route as It Runs in October

MCDOT calls the street-level connection the Capital Crescent Surface Trail. Going west to east, it runs like this:

1. Start at the trailhead at Ourisman Plaza on Bethesda Avenue, where the off-street trail from Georgetown arrives.
2. Follow the two-way separated bike lane on the north side of Bethesda Avenue from Woodmont Avenue to Wisconsin Avenue. The Coalition notes bicycle crossing lanes and signals at Bethesda and Woodmont avenues and at Wisconsin Avenue.
3. Cross Wisconsin and stay in the two-way lane on the south side of Willow Lane as far as 47th Street.
4. Take the shared-use path along the 47th Street side of Elm Street Park, then go north through the park to the future Purple Line trail.

The first three steps are Phase 1. MCDOT lists it as finished in late 2022, while the Coalition puts it around the end of 2021. The fourth step is Phase 2, a 0.25-mile segment. In its September 16 update, Montgomery Parks said Phase 2 was "approximately 90% complete and is expected to be completed in October 2026." No source we reviewed confirms it has opened to trail users as of early October.

People on foot near the station follow a separate detour. MTA keeps pedestrian access between Wisconsin Avenue and Elm Street closed. Its posted detour uses the Wisconsin Avenue crossings at Elm Street and Waverly Street, goes west on Hampden Lane to Woodmont Avenue, and then returns to Elm Street.

Every Date on the Trail Has Moved

The downtown section has been built in short pieces. The long section east of Elm Street Park, through Lyttonsville to Silver Spring, is what keeps slipping. Each official source gives a slightly different date:

The county's own wording is the most cautious: "Construction completion of the main trail along the Purple Line alignment is expected by Spring 2027 per MTA's current schedule." MTA's latest Bethesda and Chevy Chase update says crews are still building the Purple Line and the trail "between Elm Street Park and Rock Creek Park," with work possible on weekdays and weekends "through fall 2026." On the same page, MTA says light rail vehicles are already running test trips between the Lyttonsville Operations and Maintenance Facility and Bethesda Station, and it asks the public to stay outside the work zone. Trains are moving on the tracks, but the trail beside them is still closed.

What the Eastern Trail Adds When It Opens

The rebuilt section is meant to be a different kind of trail from the old Georgetown Branch, which the Coalition describes as a mix of gravel and dirt between Bethesda and Lyttonsville. Plans call for a 12-foot paved path with two-foot buffers, trail bridges over Connecticut Avenue and Colesville Road, and underpasses at Jones Mill Road, 16th Street and Spring Street. The county project also includes lighting at trail junctions, underpasses and other critical locations.

The biggest everyday change will be at Rock Creek. The Coalition says the new trail bridge is about one-third as high as the old trestle. That makes room for a single switchback on the east side of the creek down to the Rock Creek Trail. Today the same connection is what the Coalition calls an "effectively unsigned 6+ block connection on neighborhood streets and sidewalks."

That makes Elm Street Park the meeting point of the two halves, and the park is being rebuilt as well. The two-acre park at 4600 Elm Street sits within the Town of Chevy Chase but is maintained by Montgomery Parks. Phase 3, a larger renovation of the park's north end, began in September 2026 and is scheduled to finish in 2027. Community feedback for that phase asked for inclusive play with flat, stable surfacing, accessible equipment such as enclosed swings and spinners, and climbers, slides, bridges and towers. The companion Bethesda Market Park is planned with a stage, a lawn, an amphitheater and dog parks, but as of its August 18 update it was still in preliminary planning, with design and construction both listed as TBD.

The Detour Runs Past This Year's New Tables

The same street-level pattern shows up away from the trail. Two of downtown's newest dining rooms are on Hampden Lane, the street MTA's pedestrian detour uses. The Food Market began dinner service on June 29 at 4700 Hampden Lane, on the lower level of Hampden House. Farther west, family-owned Sushi Masato held its grand opening in late August at 4914 Hampden Lane, the former Tako Grill space.

Elsewhere downtown, most of the summer openings arrived when promised:

• Agora opened July 18 at One Bethesda Metro Center, beneath the Hyatt Regency, according to Bethesda Magazine.
• Call Your Mother opened August 3 at 4828 St. Elmo Avenue.
• PopUp Bagels opened its first Maryland shop on August 14 at 7607 Old Georgetown Road, in the Solaire building, with lines around the block, MoCo Show reported.
• Shake Shack opened October 2 at 7535 Old Georgetown Road, two days after its first announced date of September 30.

The fall projects are on longer clocks. Prato, the Italian restaurant taking over the former Matchbox space at 7278 Woodmont Avenue on Bethesda Row, was announced in March for "this fall." By September 28, the Bethesda Beacon reported a build-out permit and a "late-fall 2026" target, with no specific date. A June announcement said Taco Bamba would open at 4905 Fairmont Avenue later in 2026, and the company's location page now says "Opening Early 2027." On Norfolk Avenue, Bob's Soup Dumplings & Bar had permanent signs up at 7776 Norfolk as of October 6, with no opening date announced. One closure went the other way. True Food Kitchen at 7100 Wisconsin Avenue closed on Sunday, October 4, and no replacement tenant has been announced.

Two Dates Set Before Year's End

The fall calendar has two fixed dates. Trick-or-Treat at Bethesda Row is listed for Wednesday, October 28, from 4:30 to 7 p.m., with treats from participating shops and restaurants around 7262 Woodmont Avenue. Bethesda Urban Partnership's Winter Wonderland & Holiday Market is set for Saturday, December 5, from noon to 4 p.m. on Norfolk and Cordell avenues. That is the same month MTA's interim trail closure is scheduled to end, while the county's own schedule for the main trail now says spring 2027.

If you own a home near the trail corridor or Elm Street Park and want to know how these phased projects could affect timing, access or presentation for a future sale, Jonathan Taylor Group can help. Request a Private Consultation.