MD355 BUS RAPID TRANSIT

PROJECT OVERVIEW

  • The MD 355 FLASH will provide upgraded, frequent, and reliable service between Downtown Bethesda and Clarksburg along the MD 355 (Wisconsin Avenue/Rockville Pike/Frederick Road) corridor.
  • The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is advancing preliminary design based on Alternative B Modified for Flash on MD 355, which was the preference expressed by the County Council Transportation and Environment (T & E) Committee. This alternative would provide for a mostly-median running BRT between Bethesda and Clarksburg.
  • The MD 355 Flash project will bring fast and reliable bus service in dedicated lanes to this busy corridor. The project will create new connections, and support growth and redevelopment.
  • MCDOT is working on the preliminary design for the MD 355 Flash. We completed a survey of the corridor last year to inform the work. We are designing the parts of the corridor with dedicated lanes (Grosvenor to Germantown) first. Segments without dedicated lanes will be designed later. This phase of design will run through the end of 2022.

PROJECT INFORMATION

FLASH service on MD 355 between Bethesda and Clarksburg will be designed to meet the needs of residents, businesses, and visitors along this busy route. This project is part of the Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan.

There are several major existing and planned activity centers along the MD 355 corridor that have importance for the entire county and region. FLASH will improve frequent transit connections between the corridor and destinations within Montgomery County and other parts of the region.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

Over the past decade, MCDOT and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, as well as the Cities of Gaithersburg and Rockville, have completed land use and transportation studies advancing the concept for the BRT, and supporting the vision of transforming the corridor into a series of walkable and prosperous nodes of commercial, residential, and civic land uses and activities.

From 2015 to 2017, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) conducted a study (“Phase 1”) to identify options for FLASH on MD 355. Through that study, MDOT identified several options, called Conceptual Alternatives, for the BRT. MCDOT completed Phase 2 of the study in 2019, which evaluated Conceptual Alternatives and led to MCDOT advancing Alternative B Modified as the basis for design based on feedback collected from the community, partner agencies, and County Council Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee.

Preliminary design for the MD 355 BRT project is now underway.

Preliminary Design

The limits of work for this phase of preliminary design include MD 355 from Grosvenor Metrorail Station to the Milestone Park and Ride in Germantown. This phase is focused on the portions of the corridor where dedicated BRT infrastructure are proposed and will incorporate the mixed traffic segments as the project advances further. We also acknowledge that there is a lot of planning being done along the I-270 corridor, and since our schedule can accommodate it do not want to preclude new options for providing improved transit in the Upcounty.

RESOURCES

Preliminary Design

Phase 2 Study Documents (June 2019)

All items linked below are DRAFT documents for Phase 2 of the MD 355 BRT Corridor Study (June 2019)

Phase 1 Study Documents (April 2017)

Corridor Advisery Committee (CAC) Documents

MD 355 Corridor Advisory Committee

Corridor Advisory Committees (CACs) were created in 2015 as part of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) planning project for Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) on the MD 355 corridor from Bethesda to Clarksburg. The MD 355 Central CAC includes the area north of Rockville Metro Station. The committee is made up of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders along the corridor. CAC meetings allow MCDOT to both give updates on the project to members of the community and to gather feedback from stakeholders along this portion of the corridor.

For more information on this corridor, see the Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan.

Meeting Documents

CONTACT US

Project Manager: Corey Pitts
Division of Transportation Engineering
100 Edison Park, 4th Floor
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
240-777-7262 (office)

Area Map  Download

MD355 Project Map