Mayor and Council Briefed on Options
Rockville’s Mayor and Council were updated by the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) in October on a study of bus rapid transit (BRT) alternatives being considered for Veirs Mill Road.
BRT is a transportation alternative where buses make fewer stops and have a designated lane, or priority ahead of cars, at signalized intersections in order to move faster, like light rail. The area the study covers is from the Rockville Metrorail Station to the Wheaton Metrorail Station, but also includes proposed service to the Rockville campus of Montgomery College. Three alternatives for the project are under discussion.
The state hopes to determine a preferred alternative by the end of the year. The discussion covered several topics: how the service would operate, ridership potential, project costs and possible funding, service to Montgomery College, benefits to Rockville, property impacts, the project’s land-use and economic development potential, and when the county anticipates it will take a position.
The next meeting of the Mayor and Council is scheduled for Nov. 14.
Learn more about BRT on Montgomery County’s webpage, www.montgomerycountymd.gov/brt.