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Wheaton in Silver Spring in Montgomery County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
 

Wheaton Tunnel and Station

National Capital Area Outstanding Engineering Achievement - 1987

— American Society of Civil Engineers, Founded 1852 —

 
 
Wheaton Tunnel and Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 10, 2021
1. Wheaton Tunnel and Station Marker
Inscription. Constructed by the innovative Austrian Tunneling Method
 
Erected 1987 by American Society of Civil Engineers.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1987.
 
Location. 39° 2.312′ N, 77° 3.041′ W. Marker is in Silver Spring, Maryland, in Montgomery County. It is in Wheaton. It can be reached from the intersection of Georgia Avenue (Maryland Route 97) and Reedie Drive, on the right when traveling north. The marker is inside the station, which while underground is also open-air. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11175 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring MD 20902, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Mid-Atlantic. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured
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as the crow flies: Marian Fryer (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Safeway (about 300 feet away); Wheaton Veterans Park (about 400 feet away); "Out of the Home Will Come the Citizen" (about 400 feet away); Stream Restoration (approx. 0.8 miles away); Evans Parkway Neighborhood Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Welcome to Ovid Hazen Wells Carousel at Wheaton Regional Park (approx. one mile away); Shorefield (approx. 1.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Silver Spring.
 
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Spirit of Wheaton (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been permanently removed).
 
Additional commentary.
1. Nature of the Wheaton Station
The Metro station at Wheaton has the distinction of having the longest single-span escalator in the Western hemisphere.
    — Submitted October 10, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.

2. About Wheaton
Wheaton Metro Station opened to the public in 1990 and granted access to one of the two major central business districts in the Silver Spring region. The other major central business district
Wheaton Tunnel and Station Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 10, 2021
2. Wheaton Tunnel and Station Marker
in the Silver Spring area is the neighborhood and Census Designated Place of Silver Spring, which is colloquially called "Downtown Silver Spring."

Silver Spring as a region came about because much of eastern Montgomery County has no formal municipalities, and in the 1930s, several ZIP codes were named Silver Spring, even if the neighborhoods had distinct identities, such as Wheaton. Today, mail to 20902 will show as having an address of either Silver Spring or Wheaton. It is unique among Silver Spring neighborhoods for this feature.

If all of the ZIP codes attributed to Silver Spring were organized as a municipality, it would have a population of about 270,000, making it the second-largest city in Maryland, behind Baltimore.
    — Submitted October 10, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
 
Wheaton Escalator image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, October 26, 2024
3. Wheaton Escalator
Wheaton Escalator image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, October 26, 2024
4. Wheaton Escalator
Wheaton Tunnel Boarding Area image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, October 26, 2024
5. Wheaton Tunnel Boarding Area
Wheaton Tunnel Entrance image. Click for full size.
Photographed by J. Makali Bruton, October 26, 2024
6. Wheaton Tunnel Entrance
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on October 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 500 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on October 10, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.   3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on October 27, 2024, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia.
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Jul. 22, 2026