Recommendations for median transitways, project phasing and station locations discussed before County Council and transportation officials are notified of proposals
SILVER SPRING, MD – The Montgomery County Planning Board, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, reviewed the Draft MD 355 BRT Corridor Planning Study during the Board’s meeting on July 11, 2019. The purpose of the study, led by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, is to examine ways of providing a new high-quality bus rapid transit (BRT) service along MD 355. The BRT routes would run between Clarksburg and Bethesda.
BRT is a high-quality, high-capacity bus system with features similar to light rail or Metrorail system that make it more reliable, comfortable and convenient than local bus services. BRT can avoid the causes of delay that slow Metrobus and RideOn and the reliability issues that make bus services often less desirable than Metrorail.
At the July 11 meeting, the Planning Board recommended sending the following study comments to the County Council and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation:
- Advance the concept of the BRT running in dedicated, median transitways.
- Maximize the use of two-lane median transitways, especially south of the Shady Grove Metrorail Station and include dedicated transit lanes in downtown Bethesda.
- Advance preliminary engineering for both the Veirs Mill Road BRT project and the MD 355 BRT project concurrently.
- Prioritize construction of the entire Veirs Mill Road BRT project and the MD 355 BRT project between the Clarksburg Outlets and the Rockville Metrorail Station, including a spur to Germantown.
- Develop and implement interim improvements to Rockville Pike in White Flint to spur redevelopment and property dedication.
The MD 355 Bus Rapid Transit Corridor Planning Study can be reviewed online.
For more information, contact David Anspacher at David.anspacher@montgomeryplanning.org or tel. 301-495-2191.