"In Maryland, BRAC preparations are on track," said Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown (D-Md.) Tuesday. He was referring to a $300 million package, approved by Congress, as part of the Base Realignment and Closure funds.
Federal and state officials annouced more than $100 million in transportation improvements will be dedicated to expanding the military medical campus in Bethesda. Among the improvements, are enhancing road intersections, increasing ridership at the Medical Center Metro station and improving pedestrian safety.
The work is in preparation for the 2011 opening of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. It will be created once Walter Reed moves operations from D.C. to the Bethesda campus of the National Naval Medical Center.
"We are going to use Metro as an important tool of getting people here on time, and in a safe way," said Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.). That comes less than two weeks after Mikulski blasted the transit agency in a congressional hearing.
Mikulski called the upcoming project the Bethesda Stimulus Project. She said it will create hundreds of local jobs in the construction and medical industries.
County Executive Ike Leggett said now that they have the funds, they can move forward with their project, but officials have not made any finalized plans for when construction will start.
