The Department of Transportation (DOT) Pedestrian Facilities Program provides safe and convenient new pedestrian walkways for County residents. Sidewalks reduce the risks associated with walking on the roadway, provide an alternative means of transportation for short trips, and provide access to public transit. Two projects, ADA Compliance: Transportation and the Sidewalk Program - Minor Projects, are a part of the Renew Montgomery effort. Renew Montgomery is a comprehensive program that coordinates DOT services to improve the infrastructure of older neighborhoods assuring effective, safe, and attractive vehicular and pedestrian access.American with Disabilities Act of 1991 (ADA) Compliance: Transportation...

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PROGRAM DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES

The Department of Transportation (DOT) Pedestrian Facilities Program provides safe and convenient new pedestrian walkways for County residents. Sidewalks reduce the risks associated with walking on the roadway, provide an alternative means of transportation for short trips, and provide access to public transit. Two projects, ADA Compliance: Transportation and the Sidewalk Program - Minor Projects, are a part of the Renew Montgomery effort. Renew Montgomery is a comprehensive program that coordinates DOT services to improve the infrastructure of older neighborhoods assuring effective, safe, and attractive vehicular and pedestrian access.

American with Disabilities Act of 1991 (ADA) Compliance: Transportation and Sidewalk Program - Minor Projects are focused on improving pedestrian walkability by creating a safer walking environment utilizing selected engineering technologies, and on ensuring ADA compliance.

The DOT Bikeways Program provides for the construction of bike paths and implementation of other bikeways to provide residents, employees, commuters, and visitors the opportunity to ride bicycles safely to their destinations as an alternative to driving automobiles. The program contributes to energy conservation and improved air quality, as well as to the health and safety of the users. Bikeways provide an additional option in the County's balanced transportation system and reduce congestion. DOT also works in conjunction with the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) to provide connections to recreational hiker/biker trails in parks, which is integrated into an overall Countywide system of recreational trails.

All projects help the County achieve its Vision Zero goals to reduce deaths and serious injuries on County roadways to zero by 2030.

HIGHLIGHTS

• DOT was awarded Federal funding to construct secure bike parking facilities in Silver Spring and Bethesda. As the County builds out its low-stress bike network, providing convenient and secure bike parking facilities is critical. This project will add secure bike parking facilities at the Silver Spring Transit Center and the Bethesda Metro station, both of which are served by the Metro Red Line and will soon be served by the Purple Line light rail.
• Projects with cost increases related to updated design, the impact of tariffs or escalation include: Fenton Street CycleTrack, Bicycle-Pedestrian Priority Area Improvements - Purple Line (BiPPA Purple Line), MD 355-Clarksburg Shared Use Path, Tuckerman Lane Sidewalk, MacArthur Boulevard Bikeway Improvements, Sandy Spring Bikeway, and Dale Drive Shared Use Path and Safety Improvements. These projects will help improve the County's overall accessibility for pedestrians and bikeways as well as contribute to the Vision Zero goal of reducing deaths and serious injuries on County roads.
• Add funds to Bicycle-Pedestrian Priority Area Improvements - Wheaton CBD to construct additional sub projects, including construction and land cost increases due to expanded scope to include widening and reconstruction of existing sidewalk, tightening intersection turning radii, and updating design for floating bus stops per the Planning Board recommendation and community feedback for the Amherst Avenue Bikeway project.
• Continue funding for the Silver Spring Green Trail and increase funding to support completion of the Capital Crescent Trail, two Purple Line-related projects.
• Received $3.3 million in State funding for BiPPA Purple Line improvements. The additional funding will provide more sidewalk connections in FY27 and FY28 and additional sidewalk repairs in FY27 and FY28.

PROGRAM CONTACTS

Contact Brady Goldsmith of the Department of Transportation at 240-777-2793 or Gregory Bruno of the Office of Management and Budget at 240-777-2773 for more information regarding this department's capital budget.

CAPITAL PROGRAM REVIEW

The recommended DOT Pedestrian Facilities and Bikeways Program for FY27-32 totals $160.9 million and includes 28 ongoing projects. The recommended six-year expenditure total represents a decrease of $61.3 million, or 27.6 percent, from the Amended FY25-30 six-year program of $222.2 million. While there was a decrease in the six year period from FY25-FY30, overall, there was nearly a $109.6 million increase to existing projects due to updated design estimates and inflationary increases for construction materials and labor costs. Cost increases in some pedestrian/bikeways projects, and other Capital Improvement Program (CIP) cost pressures, particularly for schools, led to deferral of a number of projects to beyond six years.

VISION ZERO

Vision Zero is the County's comprehensive plan to eliminate serious and fatal injuries for our roadways. The Vision Zero 2030 Action Plan has 45 action items to move from plan to action. The majority of action items are implemented through Capital Improvement Projects to remake our roads into complete streets with sidewalks, bikeways, new signals, and safe driving speeds. The County has maintained focus on County roads while working with the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration to identify and implement projects on State roads as well. Learn more about Vision Zero and see the latest action plan at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/visionzero. Pedestrian Facilities and Bikeways projects comprise $160.9 million of the total estimated Vision Zero CIP budget of $300.2 million for Vision Zero projects in the FY25-30 period.

PEDESTRIAN SAFETY

DOT continues to evaluate existing infrastructure, build necessary enhancements, and add to the County's existing infrastructure to increase the safety and comfort level of pedestrians and ensure ADA compliance. DOT conducts regular meetings with the Montgomery County Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Traffic Safety Advisory Committee (PTBSAC) to obtain input and recommendations on pedestrian safety issues. In addition to the projects in the Pedestrian Facilities and Bikeways sub-category, pedestrian safety initiatives will continue to be supported through efforts in the Public Services Program and will continue drawing support from the following ongoing projects: Guardrails, Bus Stop Improvements, Intersection and Spot Improvements, Neighborhood Traffic Calming, Pedestrian Safety Program, Streetlight Enhancements - CBD, Transportation Improvements for Schools, ADA Compliance: Transportation, Resurfacing: Residential/Rural, Sidewalk and Curb Replacement, Streetlighting, Traffic Signals, Advanced Transportation Management System, MCPS - Improved Safe Access to Schools, and M-NCPPC - Vision Zero.

PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES AND BIKEWAYS IN TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS

In accordance with the Complete Street Design Guide (approved 2021) and updates to the street classifications, all transportation projects are designed and built in a "context sensitive manner," taking into consideration the balance between the provision of new road capacity, pedestrian and bicycling needs, and minimization of impacts to the environment. For this reason, all road projects provide pedestrian and bicycling facilities, unless there are environmental or community impacts that may outweigh the benefits of providing those facilities, or there are Master Planned bikeways in the immediate vicinity of the project being undertaken. Furthermore, in some instances, the inclusion of pedestrian and/or bicyclist facilities may go beyond the limits of the road project in order to fill in gaps in the pedestrian or bikeway networks. Bridge projects typically include pedestrian and/or bikeway enhancements, such as expanded shoulders, to allow for safe on-road bicycling, sidewalks, or bike paths.

The following list presents all road and bridge projects included in the Recommended FY27-32 CIP for which pedestrian and bicyclist facilities are an integral part of the project.

TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE PEDESTRIAN FACILITIES OR BIKEWAYS

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