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It was just another bike ride in Silver Spring for Dr. Karen Weiss until she approached the "mile of terror."

Weiss commutes 18 miles by bike from her Rockville home to her job at the Food and Drug Administration's White Oak complex, passing by Rock Creek and Silgo Creek parks. But last December, a car struck her as she biked in the area of Lorain Avenue along Route 29 in Silver Spring.

"I was hit from behind," Weiss said. "Before I knew it I was on the ground."

Weiss escaped serious injury. She said that the car was more banged up than she was and jokingly expressed relief that her bike was not damaged.

Last week, Weiss spoke at a county celebration on Lorain dedicating the completion of a new sidewalk along Route 29. She said the new segment will make it safer for bikers to navigate the area, which she said was plagued by fast cars and lack of a shoulder along the road.

The 2,750-foot sidewalk stretches from University Boulevard to Oak View Drive. It connects to existing sidewalks between Lorain and Northwest Branch and complies with the American with Disabilities Act.

The project cost $3.8 million, with $850,000 coming from the State Highway Administration, according to a county news release.

County Executive Isiah Leggett (D) and other county officials at the celebration commended the new sidewalk as a way to make pedestrians safe.

"I think it's the right thing to do," Leggett said during the dedication. "I'm going to make sure it's what we're going to do [in] Montgomery County."

According to county statistics, an average of 14 pedestrian deaths and 430 collisions involving pedestrians took place from 2003 to 2006.

Leggett launched the Pedestrian Safety Initiative in 2006 to reduce pedestrian-related injury and death resulting from collisions. The initiative is a joint effort between Leggett, Councilwoman Valerie Ervin (D-Dist. 5) of Silver Spring and the Montgomery County Planning Board. According to a county guide, the initiative "provides Montgomery County, for the first time, with a blueprint for action based on measurable strategies."

Art Holmes, director of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, said construction for the yearlong project was a challenge due to the slope along Route 29 and Lorain and the relocation of 400 feet of sanitary sewer pipe. The project also included the construction of three retaining walls spanning 1,240 feet and the installation of 75 feet of new storm drain pipe, according to the news release.

FDA employees Marc Bloom and Andrew Dempster helped push the county to construct the sidewalk. Members of LabQuest, an association of area residents that helped bring FDA to the area, also contributed.

A part of Route 29 is now safer for the biking community, Weiss said. "We are so appreciative of the sidewalk," she said.

More information about the county's Pedestrian Safety Initiative, go to www.montgomerycountymd.gov/

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