Projects in this program are intended to enhance mobility by providing convenient and affordable mass transit alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel and to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.The County's Mass Transit/WMATA Capital Program provides an essential alternative to single occupant vehicle travel and contributes to the reduction of traffic congestion. The goal of the County's Mass Transit/WMATA Capital Program is to provide infrastructure, equipment, and supporting facilities for the operation of safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable public transportation systems to the residents of Montgomery County. The infrastructure, equipment, and supporting facilities for these transit systems...

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

Projects in this program are intended to enhance mobility by providing convenient and affordable mass transit alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel and to reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions.

The County's Mass Transit/WMATA Capital Program provides an essential alternative to single occupant vehicle travel and contributes to the reduction of traffic congestion. The goal of the County's Mass Transit/WMATA Capital Program is to provide infrastructure, equipment, and supporting facilities for the operation of safe, reliable, convenient, and affordable public transportation systems to the residents of Montgomery County. The infrastructure, equipment, and supporting facilities for these transit systems must be constructed, maintained, rehabilitated, and replaced to ensure safety and operational effectiveness.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Add funding for full design, land acquisition, and construction of MD 355 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Central phase, with completion in FY28.
• Add funding to complete full design of MD 355 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) South/North phase.
• Add funding for full design, land acquisition, and construction of Veirs Mill Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) with completion in FY27.
• Add funding in the Bus Priority Project to enhance countywide bus system performance.
• Continue planning for the New Hampshire Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor and the North Bethesda Transitway.
• Continue design and construction of the Great Seneca Science Corridor Transit Improvements.
• Replace 29 diesel Ride On buses with zero emission electric models in fiscal years 2023-24 to achieve full capacity of 70 electric buses at the Silver Spring bus depot solar microgrid by FY25.
• Add funding to support the construction of a mezzanine for the south entrance of the Bethesda Metrorail Station in coordination with the Purple Line project.
• Provide oversight and financial support for the Purple Line project which will provide significant economic and mobility benefits.
• Continue efforts to improve the condition of Ride On bus stops.
• Design and construct a new bus loop and parking lot at the Boyds MARC Station.
• Complete access improvements to the White Flint Metro Station.

PROGRAM CONTACTS

Contact Brady Goldsmith of the Department of Transportation at 240.777.2793, or Gary Nalven of the Office of Management and Budget at 240.777.2779 for more information regarding this department's capital budget.

CAPITAL PROGRAM REVIEW

The FY23-28 Mass Transit/WMATA component of the Transportation capital budget includes 17 active projects. The program totals $655.0 million over the six year period. This represents an increase of $373.3 million or 133 percent from the $281.7 million in the Amended FY21-26 program. This increase is largely due to the addition of two large Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects to be constructed on MD 355 and MD 586 (Veirs Mill Road), which primarily utilize non-county funding, as well as a significant increase in Ride On bus replacement costs to reflect the transition to a zero emissions bus fleet.

STATE TRANSIT PROGRAM/PURPLE LINE

In addition to transit projects programmed by Montgomery County, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) develops and provides transit services within the County on the Brunswick MARC rail line from Brunswick to Silver Spring, providing a convenient connection to the Washington regional Metrorail system.

The State's Draft Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) is released each October. Final action on the Statewide CTP is taken by the General Assembly. The County continues to work with the State and the Concessionaire under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) for the 16-mile Purple Line light rail project. In addition to completing the design and construction of the project, the Concessionaire will operate and maintain the light rail corridor for a period of 30 years.

The Purple Line project is included to provide oversight and financial support to this State project. As with any large infrastructure project, significant impacts to the community - both residents and business along the corridor - are anticipated during the construction period. The County is actively engaged with the community throughout the various project stages. The County is also providing technical review and oversight of both the County-funded projects (Bethesda Metro Station South Entrance, Silver Spring Green Trail, and Capital Crescent Trail) and the overall Purple Line project to ensure that they are in keeping with County standards.

BUS RAPID TRANSIT

MCDOT continues to advance FLASH Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) to deliver a new high-quality, high-capacity transit option in the county. Making efficient use of existing roadways, FLASH will provide a more robust and reliable system that will increase transit ridership. Design, land acquisition, and/or construction of projects are funded on three BRT corridors from the adopted Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan - MD 355, MD 586 (Veirs Mill Road), and US 29. Leveraging anticipated federal aid and pledged toll revenues from the State's Op Lanes Maryland Project, MCDOT will add median dedicated bus lanes and construct level boarding platforms, intersection queue jumps, and other system improvements to provide FLASH service on zero-emission BRT buses from Rockville to Germantown on MD 355. BRT will also be implemented on Veirs Mill Road through a combination of some dedicated shoulder bus lanes and other improvements, connecting to MD 355 in Rockville to expand the FLASH in the central part of the County from Wheaton to Rockville. In addition, bicycle and pedestrian improvements associated with the Veirs Mill and Randolph Road Bicycle & Pedestrian Priority Areas (BiPPA) are being accelerated to further increase access to FLASH stations while improving pedestrian and bicycle safety along the Veirs Mill Road corridor. MCDOT will continue engineering for the entire MD 355 transit corridor to eventually extend FLASH service south to Bethesda and north to Clarksburg.

The US29 FLASH line has completed construction and began operation in 2020, with planning and design underway to add more dedicated bus lanes. Planning for the North Bethesda Transitway and New Hampshire Avenue BRT corridors began in FY22 and will be completed in FY23 and FY24, respectively.

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