Two weeks remain in the Red Line shutdown, and Bethesda commuters still navigating the closure have several options to get where they're going.

WMATA suspended train service between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights on July 6 for major construction, including building a second mezzanine at Bethesda station that will eventually connect riders to the Purple Line. Full service is scheduled to resume Monday, Sept. 7.

Here's what's available until then.

Shuttle buses

Free shuttles run every five to eight minutes during normal Metrorail hours and are ADA accessible, according to The MoCo Show. Two types operate:

• Local shuttles stop at all five affected stations (North Bethesda, Grosvenor-Strathmore, Medical Center, Bethesda and Friendship Heights), averaging about 10 minutes between stops.
• Express shuttles run directly between North Bethesda and Friendship Heights in roughly 26 minutes.

Key boarding locations: Bus Bay C at North Bethesda; Bay K on Wisconsin Avenue at Friendship Heights. At Bethesda, northbound riders board on Wisconsin Avenue at East-West Highway; southbound riders board on Wisconsin Avenue at Montgomery Avenue.

The shuttles are privately chartered buses, not standard Metrobuses. Some display the charter company name rather than the destination on their windshield screens.

Dedicated bus lanes

Metro established approximately 7.5 miles of dedicated bus lanes along Rockville Pike, with additional temporary lanes on Wisconsin Avenue, to speed shuttle travel. The lanes are enforced 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., Monday through Saturday. Violations carry a $60 ticket, WTOP reported.

State Delegate Marc Korman noted in his June newsletter that the bus lanes on Wisconsin Avenue inside the Capital Beltway are temporary and will be removed when service resumes. The lanes north of I-495 on Rockville Pike are under consideration for permanent installation; the Maryland Department of Transportation plans to gather public feedback before any decision.

Free parking

Parking is free at North Bethesda and Grosvenor-Strathmore stations on a first-come, first-served basis, according to WMATA's project page. Metro is also offering free parking at the former Lord & Taylor lot at 5255 Western Ave. NW through Sept. 6. Drivers must enter and exit through the Jenifer Street NW entrance. Hours run 5 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday, 5 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday, 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. to midnight Sunday.

Other alternatives

• Half-price MARC fares from Rockville and Garrett Park stations to Union Station and Silver Spring are available through Friday, Sept. 4, during morning and evening operating periods.
• Capital Bikeshare is offering Montgomery County residents a free 30-day membership during the construction project.
• Ride On is running a temporary Glenmont Express Shuttle from the Milestone Park & Ride Lot in Germantown to Shady Grove and Glenmont through Sept. 6. Riders can also use Ride On Routes 40 and 37.

What's being built

In an Aug. 9 progress update, Metro said crews are reconstructing platforms at Grosvenor-Strathmore and preparing Bethesda station for the Purple Line connection with a new second mezzanine and escalators. In Delegate Korman's June newsletter, the Maryland Transit Administration described the Bethesda tie-in as the final major construction task before the Purple Line can begin end-to-end system testing.

Red Line trains continue to operate in two segments during the closure: Shady Grove to North Bethesda, and Friendship Heights to Glenmont. Trains arrive every six minutes during daytime service and every 10 minutes late-night.

Montgomery County's Department of Transportation is surveying riders on whether the Glenmont Express Shuttle should continue after the Red Line reopens Sept. 7.