Montgomery Bus Rapid Transit

Image: WTOP

In 2013, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved an 81-mile bus rapid transit system – which may be the most ambitious bus rapid transit plan for any suburban jurisdiction in the United States. Once built, the approved corridors will connect Montgomery County’s major neighborhoods, employment centers, and commercial corridors. Montgomery County is currently doing studies for the first three BRT routes: MD355, Veirs Mill Rd, and RT.29.

As of May 2017, the Montgomery County Council has signed off on $7.5 million to design the Rt. 29 BRT line and to continuing studying BRT along MD 355. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has also been awarded $10 million in TIGER grant funds to construct the Rt. 29 BRT line, named “Flash.” It is set to open in 2020. The route is planned from the Burtonsville Park and Ride to Downtown Silver Spring in both dedicated shoulder lanes and mixed traffic. Plans for more dedicated space in the southern portion of the corridor are underway. This will be the first BRT line in Montgomery County.

Resources

Here are some additional great resources to learn more about our work for BRT in Montgomery County:

Latest Happenings

Questions remain on bus-rapid transit in Montgomery Co.

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SILVER SPRING, Md. — As the Purple Line gets closer to construction next year, transit advocates are pushing for a bus-rapid transit network to relieve congestion in Montgomery County. The Coalition for Smarter Growth and Communities for Transit have released a guide that examines how other cities have successfully built such networks. Montgomery County
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Bus Rapid Transit Boosters Unveil Wish List for Unfunded Montgomery County System

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Two of the groups pushing hard for bus rapid transit in Montgomery County don't want officials weighing difficult funding questions to forget the features that could make the system a success. The Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG), a Washington, D.C.-based smart growth advocacy organization, and the Communities for Transit on Tuesday released
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RELEASE: New report identifies key ways to make Montgomery County’s bus rapid transit succeed

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 1, 2015 CONTACT Pete Tomao, Coalition for Smarter Growth 202-675-0016 pete@smartergrowth.net MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD -- In 2013, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved a plan for an 81-mile Rapid Transit network based on modern bus rapid transit. Today, appointed citizen task forces are working with county and state
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Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery's Veirs Mill Rd corridor

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery’s Veirs Mill Rd corridor

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RESIDENTS ALONG VEIRS MILL ROAD NEED THE RTS AS A TRANSIT OPTION • More than 6,000 (15.4%) of commuters along the Veirs Mill Road corridor have commutes longer than 60 minutes. • Since 1990, the number of residents in this corridor with these mega-commutes has nearly doubled. • 22.7% of corridor residents take transit to work: nearly twice as many as in 1990. Almost half of these transit riders take the bus to work. • The median income of Veirs Mill Corridor residents is nearly $20,000 less than the median income in Montgomery County overall. Almost 44% of Veirs Mill Road corridor residents are foreign-born.
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Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery's US-29 corridor

Fact sheet: Benefits of Rapid Transit for Montgomery’s US-29 corridor

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RESIDENTS ALONG THE US 29 CORRIDOR NEED THE RTS AS A TRANSIT OPTION • Almost 9,500 (17.2%) of commuters in the US 29 corridor have commutes longer than 60 minutes. • Since 1990, the number of residents in this corridor with these mega-commutes has nearly doubled. • 17.5% of corridor residents take transit to work: nearly twice as many as in 1990. Almost half of these transit riders take the bus to work
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