Update revises street types to conform to Montgomery County’s new “complete street” street types and makes recommendations on unbuilt sections of Midcounty Highway Extended
Wheaton, Md. – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, has approved the Planning Board Draft of Montgomery Planning’s technical update to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (MPOHT) at its meeting on April 10, 2025. The draft plan will now be sent to the Montgomery County Council for review and approval.
Read the current draft of the plan. The Planning Board draft will be made available on the plan’s website.
The update to the plan is required due to the County Council’s approval of two bills in 2022 (Bill 24-22 and 34-22) that revised the street types identified in Chapter 49 of the County Code, also known as the “Road Code,” to conform to the county’s Complete Streets Design Guide. Version 1.2 of the Complete Streets Design Guide was reviewed and approved by the Planning Board in May 2024. While the updated County Code provides an interim translation from the previous functional classification system to the new complete streets classification system, adjustments to these default translations are needed for various road segments in the county.
The draft plan also makes recommendations related to the unbuilt northern and southern segments of Midcounty Highway Extended (M-83).
- Remove the northern section of M-83 from the MPOHT as it is inconsistent with Thrive Montgomery 2050 and the county’s Climate Action Plan.
- Conduct a comprehensive study of travel needs along the Clarksburg to Germantown corridor to determine if there is sufficient master-planned transportation capacity to accommodate planned development.
- Retain the southern section of M-83 between Shady Grove Road and the Intercounty Connector (ICC) until a more detailed planning and engineering feasibility study can be completed.
About the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways
The Master Plan of Highways and Transitways is a comprehensive summary of all significant existing and planned roadway and transitway infrastructure in Montgomery County. It provides a road map for making transportation investments in the county. While the plan is focused on highways and transitways, it includes provisions that impact all modes of transportation, including preserving rights-of-way to accommodate future transportation systems, identifying the number of lanes dedicated to general traffic, and designating the target speeds for individual roadways.
Periodically, the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways requires a countywide technical update to ensure that transportation investments are being evaluated and considered consistent with current county policy.