The first public draft of the plan outlines recommended transit options for the I-270 corridor
WHEATON, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Department, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), has released the Working Draft of Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan. Planners will present the Working Draft to the Planning Board during the November 4 meeting. The Working Draft is the first publicly available version of a plan and is prepared by Montgomery Planning staff. The Planning Board reviews the Working Draft, makes preliminary changes as appropriate, and approves the plan for a public hearing. After the Planning Board’s changes are made, the document becomes the Public Hearing Draft Plan and a Public Hearing is scheduled.
View the Working Draft of the Corridor Forward: I-270 Transit Plan.
The Working Draft proposes a transit network, which includes both a near-term network of dedicated bus lanes and an ambitious long-term recommendation for an extension of Metrorail’s Red Line. The near-term network of dedicated bus lanes, known as the Corridor Connectors, builds on existing master planned projects, including the MD 355 and Veirs Mill Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects, to create a transit network that serves communities and employment centers along the I-270 corridor. This Draft Plan re-envisions the master planned CCT as the Corridor Connectors, a network of more buildable dedicated bus lanes, which connect I-270 corridor communities to the county’s existing and planned rapid transit network.
Beyond the proposed network, Corridor Forward offers additional recommendations that support the proposed transit network and strengthen the potential to advance regional transit connectivity.
The Working Draft is the result of an iterative planning process, in which Planning staff:
- Compared transit vehicle attributes and inventoried transit options that could serve the I-270 Corridor.
- Completed a pre-screening analysis, which evaluated the initial list of inventoried transit options based on indicators such as travel time, population access, job access, ability to accommodate growth and equitable access and advanced six transit options for detailed analysis.
- Refined and analyzed the six transit options, including an evaluation of strategic metrics, economic and financial outlook, and potential implementation challenges and risks.
- Completed additional evaluation on combinations of the six transit options to inform the development of the Plan’s recommendations.
The Working Draft is a product of more than two years of transportation analysis, stakeholder coordination and community outreach.
Updated Corridor Forward Plan Schedule
The community will have the opportunity to continue to provide comment and testimony through the planning process.
- November 4 – Working Draft presented to the Planning Board
- December 9 – Anticipated Planning Board Public Hearing
- December 16 – Anticipated work session #1
- December 23 – Anticipated work session #2 and Planning Board vote to transmit to County Council
About the Corridor Forward Plan
The goal of Corridor Forward is to comprehensively evaluate, prioritize and advance transit options that achieve the best combination of the following values, consistent with the Planning Board Draft of Thrive Montgomery 2050:
- Strategic Connections: Serve high-demand origin and destination pairs, balancing costs of implementation with projected benefits.
- Economic Health: Enable existing development and master-planned communities to realize their potential as livable and economically vibrant places.
- Community Equity: Align with the county’s social equity goals and principles.
- Environmental Resilience: Operate sustainably and reduce negative environmental impacts.
To create the plan, Montgomery Planning has worked with state and county agencies, neighboring jurisdictions, county municipalities, advocacy groups, and community members as we analyzed and prioritized transit options to develop the Working Draft. Montgomery Planning has engaged community members about their needs and values related to transit through the Corridor Forward Plan’s Transit Values Questionnaire and Transit Stories campaign.