The objective of the Roads program is to alleviate congestion within key transportation corridors of the County and improve roadway capacity, safety, circulation, and accessibility. The Roads program provides new capacity and congestion relief through new construction, realignments, and upgrades of existing roadways. Capital projects within this program also provide missing links, implement needs identified to support master planned growth, and make changes to improve circulation and intermodal connections. Roadways provide mobility for both people and freight, serving to facilitate business growth, employment opportunities, and delivery of goods and services. A roadway network maintained for safe circulation...
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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES
The objective of the Roads program is to alleviate congestion within key transportation corridors of the County and improve roadway capacity, safety, circulation, and accessibility. The Roads program provides new capacity and congestion relief through new construction, realignments, and upgrades of existing roadways. Capital projects within this program also provide missing links, implement needs identified to support master planned growth, and make changes to improve circulation and intermodal connections. Roadways provide mobility for both people and freight, serving to facilitate business growth, employment opportunities, and delivery of goods and services. A roadway network maintained for safe circulation serves private vehicles, passengers traveling by bus, scooters, cyclists, and pedestrians. The Roads program provides funding for pedestrian facilities, multi-use paths, and bikeways alongside new roadways. Environmental enhancements like street trees, noise abatement, and stormwater treatment beautify the community and mitigate pollution as part of roadway construction. Finally, the Roads program provides for planning and preliminary engineering for roadway projects.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Add funding for North High Street to increase safety and connectivity with the Olney Town Center.
- Continue to fund design and construction of the planned extension to Observation Drive, following a re-alignment in the Clarksburg Gateway Sector Plan.
- Complete construction of a new roadway between Spencerville Road (MD 198) and the School Access Road in Burtonsville.
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 FY27-32 Roads Capital Improvements program includes 12 active projects totaling $58.3 million over the next six years. This represents an increase of $29.8 million or 104.7 percent from the FY25-30 Amended CIP of $28.5 million. This increase is largely due to the addition of funding to begin construction of Observation Drive Extended in FY32.
TRANSPORTATION IMPACT TAXES
Transportation Impact Taxes are required for new development based on its transportation policy area, a geographic measure that is based on proximity to transit and other multimodal infrastructure. Developers pay transportation impact taxes based on the number of residential uses or commercial square feet, with the rates based on the policy area. Red Policy Areas are located around Metrorail and Purple Line stations; Orange Policy Areas are defined as corridor-focused growth areas; Yellow Policy Areas are lower-density residential neighborhoods with community serving commercial areas; and Green Policy Areas are in the Agricultural Reserve and rural areas. Impact Taxes collected by the County may be used to fund projects that increase transportation capacity.
Transportation Impact Taxes are also assessed for projects within the boundaries of Rockville and Gaithersburg. These impact taxes can only be used for projects listed in a County Council-approved Memorandum of Understanding with the individual municipalities.
STATE ROAD PROGRAM
In addition to the County Roads, Bridges, Traffic Improvements, and Pedestrian/Bicycle programs included in the County CIP, the State's Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP) represents a significant investment in improving and maintaining the roadway network in Montgomery County. The State's Draft Consolidated Transportation Program is released each October. Final action on the Statewide CTP is taken by the General Assembly. State roads in Montgomery County are identified by numbers (e.g., MD 650 is New Hampshire Avenue).
State projects identified in Montgomery County in the Draft FY 2026-20231 CTP include three construction projects and three development and evaluation projects impacting interstate highways and primary and secondary roads.
Construction Projects:
| Road | Nature of Work |
| I-270 | Innovative Congestion Management (ICM) tools to reduce congestion along I-270. |
*MD 97 | Safety and accessibility improvements to MD 97 in Montgomery Hills, between MD 192 and MD 390, as well as MD 390 between MD 97 and 2nd Ave. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations will be included. |
| MD 390 | Safety and accessibility improvements to MD 390 between 2nd Ave and Spring St. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations will be included. |
Development and Evaluation Projects:
| Road | Nature of Work |
| MD 28/ MD 198 | Norbeck/Spencerville Road: Study to construct capacity improvements in the MD 28 and MD 198 corridors in Montgomery and Prince George's Counties. |
| MD 97/ MD 28 | Construct a new interchange at this location. Bicycle and pedestrian accommodations will be included where appropriate. This project is included in the CTP but is on hold and not funded in FY26-31. |
| MD 117 | Construct intersection capacity improvements from I-270 to west of Game Preserve Road, to include pedestrian and bicycle accommodations where appropriate. This project is included in the CTP but is on hold and not funded in FY26-31. |
* Projects in which the County has contributed funding.
For projects in Montgomery County, the Draft FY 2026-2031 CTP includes $30.8 million for the Construction Program and $0 for the Development and Evaluation Program, which is structured similarly to Montgomery County's Facility Planning process. In addition, the CTP includes $72.0 million for 22 system preservation projects including road resurfacing and reconstruction, bridge replacement and rehabilitation, safety/spot improvements, traffic management, environmental preservation, intersection capacity improvements, bicycle retrofits, total maximum daily load compliance, and enhancements to pedestrian/bicycle facilities.
GROWTH & INFRASTRUCTURE POLICY CONSIDERATIONS
Montgomery County established the Growth and Infrastructure Policy (GIP) and the Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance (APFO) to help ensure that development activity is accompanied by appropriate transportation capacity improvements. The 2024-2028 Growth and Infrastructure Policy updated the transportation policies associated with new development; the latest GIP was adopted on November 12, 2024.
The GIP makes explicit connections between the trips generated by private development and the transportation (and school) infrastructure needed to support the new growth. The APFO tests for the adequacy of road facilities using a tool called the Local Area Transportation Review (LATR) process. The Planning Board adopts guidelines to administer LATR, and the GIP provides policies for motor vehicle and non-motor vehicle adequacy tests related to new development. For example, motor vehicle adequacy tests require private developments to study the impacts on vehicle delay at signalized intersections near the development site and set standards on acceptable levels of delay.
The 2024-2028 GIP reiterated the importance of providing APFO as part of new development and refined considerations for APFO adequacy tests. The County Transportation CIP projects, combined with the Maryland Department of Transportation CTP and developer-built infrastructure, provide increased transportation capacity to accommodate new growth. Through the latest GIP and LATR guidelines, the County broadly considers multimodal capacity on State and County roads in meeting the needs of new development.
STORMWATER MANAGEMENT COORDINATION
The County is required to obtain a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and develop a stormwater management program to prevent harmful pollutants from being washed or dumped into the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4). The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (DOT) is assisting the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in implementing the MS4 permit by (1) constructing Storm Water Management (SWM) retrofit programs which have been developed through DEP's MS4 planning studies; (2) providing opportunities for curb bump-outs and road narrowing where feasible to permit implementation of Low-Impact Development (LID) SWM provisions within the right-of-way; (3) seeking DEP guidance on prioritization of storm drain outfall repairs; (4) coordinating with DEP on constructing storm drain projects developed in the Storm Drain General and Facility Planning Storm Drain projects to identify opportunities for enhancements which would assist in meeting the requirements of the MS4 permit; and (5) establishing quarterly meetings with DEP and DOT staff to look for additional areas of cooperation in meeting the MS4 permit requirements.
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