anchor Description
This project will design and construct a new Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line on Veirs Mill Road (MD 586) between the Wheaton Metro Station and Montgomery College in Rockville. Planning conducted by the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) resulted in a recommended alternative in late 2017. The recommended alternative includes queue jumps for use by BRT and other buses at congested intersections along the corridor, new BRT stations with level boarding and off-board payment, Transit Signal Priority, purchase of new, zero-emission BRT buses, and other associated pedestrian and bicycle improvements along the corridor. The study retains curbside dedicated lanes as the long-term BRT alternative for Veirs Mill Road. In addition, MCDOT intends to accelerate the Veirs Mill and Randolph Road BiPPA project to provide expanded pedestrian and bicycle facilities along the corridor. The addition of a shared use path along the north side of Veirs Mill Road, completing sidewalk gaps along the south side, and improving pedestrian crossings along Veirs Mill Road will improve access to Flash stations.
anchorEstimated Schedule
Project planning was completed in FY18 and preliminary engineering was completed in FY22. Final design began in FY23 and will be completed by mid FY25. Property acquisition activities are estimated to begin in FY24 and construction is anticipated to start in FY25. Construction of the transit facilities will be completed in 2027, and completion of the supporting pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure will be completed by 2028. Flash service is scheduled to open in 2027 following completion of transit facilities.
anchorCost Change
Cost increase due to updated cost estimate following 65 percent design milestone. Vehicle costs are updated to reflect actual contract unit costs.
anchor Justification
The project will transform mobility options with the implementation of a seven-mile, premium, branded, limited-stop BRT service along Veirs Mill Road. This new service will improve transit travel time and increase opportunity for a broad range of users, including a significant number of minority and low-income riders living along a highly congested corridor. The project will improve passenger transit mobility by connecting riders to high density housing and employment centers. The incorporation of bicycle and pedestrian access and safety improvements will facilitate improved access to stations and improve overall corridor safety.
Plans and Studies: MCDOT Countywide Bus Rapid Transit Study, Final Report (July 2011); County Executive's Transit Task Force (May 2012); Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan (November 2013); Maryland Department of Transportation/Maryland State Highway Administration MD 586/Veirs Mill Road Draft Corridor Planning Study (September 2016); Veirs Mill Corridor Master Plan (April 2019).
anchorFiscal Note
The County intends to secure federal funding for this project through the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Small Starts program. The project was accepted into Small Starts in September 2022. Vehicles are excluded from the scope of the CIG project due to cost limits of the CIG Small Starts program. The CIG eligible project is estimated at approximately $169 million. It is assumed that 80% of the CIG project will be eligible for federal funds. Federal funding assumptions will be fine-tuned once the project is rated and the County enters into a fully funded grant agreement with FTA.
State Aid reflects state grants for capital projects in Montgomery County programmed during the 2022 and 2023 Maryland General Assembly sessions. The State Bus Rapid Transit Fund was created by the MD General Assembly using lottery proceeds, and is available to Maryland to fund eligible BRT projects in Maryland. The funds programmed were made available to Montgomery County in 2023.
Vehicles are being procured using a combination of local County funds, State Aid, and a Low and No Emission (Low-No) federal grant. Federal aid in this project includes funding from the Low-No grant, the remainder of which is programmed in the Hydrogen Fuel Cell Buses and Fueling Site project (P502408).
anchorDisclosures
A pedestrian impact analysis will be performed during design or is in progress.
The County Executive asserts that this project conforms to the requirement of relevant local plans, as required by the Maryland Economic Growth, Resource Protection and Planning Act.
anchorCoordination
Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration and Maryland Transit Administration, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, City of Rockville, Commission on People with Disabilities, Transit Advisory Group, Neighborhood and Civic Associations, and Veirs Mill Road BRT Corridor Advisory Committee, Federal Transit Administration