Mural Highlighting NIH Featured in New BRAC Tunnel

Pedestrians crossing underneath Rockville Pike, between NIH and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, via the new Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) tunnel can get a life-size glimpse of the NIH mission, history and research. That’s because a mural that depicts the NIH story in images has been completed. The tunnel, also known as the Medical Center Metro Crossing Project or MD 355 Underpass Crossing, was proposed in 2008 to help people safely navigate that busy stretch of Rockville Pike. One wall of the tunnel features the NIH mural and the opposite wall features USO-oriented pictures in recognition of the work at Walter Reed.

The tunnel, which opened unofficially several weeks ago, is set to be named for the late former U.S. Congressman Philip Alperson, longtime community advocate, Montgomery County official and coordinator of BRAC activities for Walter Reed. He died in May 2020. A formal dedication ceremony is planned for later this year.

To read about the tunnel’s origins, visit https://nihrecord.nih.gov/sites/recordNIH/files/pdf/2011/NIH-Record-2011-06-24.pdf.