(November 8, 2024) – The Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration, in conjunction with partners at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and Metro, will host a public meeting 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 20, to update the public and gather feedback on the ongoing pilot project utilizing roughly seven miles of bus-only lanes along Georgia Avenue, Veirs Mill Road, and Colesville Road.
The meeting will be held at the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission headquarters, 2425 Reedie Drive, Wheaton.
The bus-only lanes were installed in late spring 2024 during the Metro Red Line closure that temporarily closed several stations along the route while critical maintenance and construction work was performed at the Glenmont, Wheaton, Forest Glen, Silver Spring and Takoma Metro stations. This was done in coordination with the Maryland Transit Administration’s work at the Silver Spring Station to advance connections between the future Purple Line and Metro.
The stations reopened in September. In collaboration with Montgomery County, the State Highway Administration has extended use of the bus-only lanes as a pilot project through December to allow for continued evaluation. The bus-only lanes are in effect 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and are utilized by Metrobus and Montgomery County Ride On bus routes.
MD97 Bus Lanes
The public is invited to attend the November 20 meeting to learn more about the pilot project and how the lanes have performed. Representatives from the State Highway Administration, Metro and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation will discuss the project to date, including evaluations of the bus lane performance while the Metro Stations were closed, as well as performance since the stations reopened.
Displays describing the project and findings will be available, and representatives from the partner agencies will be on hand to field comments and questions. Attendees will be asked to fill out a survey regarding the project.
The survey also is available under the “Community Engagement” section on the
Project Portal page created for the pilot study. The survey is open from November 6 to December 4, 2024.
Meeting attendees seeking an interpreter for hearing or speech difficulties or assistance with the English language may email SHATitleVI@mdot.maryland.gov in advance of the meeting. Please indicate the desired language in the subject line. Maryland Relay Service can assist teletype users at 7-1-1.
Questions about the meeting or general inquiries may be directed to Qianyu Hu, State Highway Administration District 3 Assistant District Engineer, at qhu@mdot.maryland.gov or Tiffany Boulware, District 3 Community Relations Manager, at tboulware@mdot.maryland.gov.