Expanding Bus Rapid Transit
Transit projects take time to conceptualize and put into action. In late 2021, MCDOT introduced dedicated bus lanes at the Germantown Transit Center. The lanes are located on Crystal Rock Drive, Century Boulevard and Aircraft Drive. The Germantown Transit Center has six bus bays serving eight routes. More than 1,900 people board buses at the bus transit center each day.
The Council laid the groundwork to construct Flash with the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). This Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project now takes residents along U.S. Route 29 from Burtonsville to Silver Spring. The service launched in Oct. 2020 with rush hour buses that arrive every seven and half minutes, 80 seat capacity aboard each bus with bike racks, free Wi-Fi and USB charging ports.
The project required the construction of 18 new BRT station platforms with level boarding and off-board fare payment, purchase 14 new 60-foot buses. It also required the implementation of transit signal priority at 15 intersections and construction to improve access for bicycles and pedestrians. The project also added ten new Capital Bikeshare stations.
The service greatly improves transit travel times along a highly congested corridor used by a diverse range of county residents. The project connects riders to high density housing and employment centers and is vital to the White Oak Science Gateway Master Plan.
The project received $10 million in Federal funds through the Transportation Infrastructure Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program, which were applied to the station and pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure. The Maryland Department of Transportation Consolidated Transportation Program also provided $10 million for County Rapid Transit System planning, a portion of which was used to begin facility planning on the US 29 corridor.