County Launches Pedestrian Safety Campaign Aimed at High School Students

The YOLO (You Only Live Once) education program to reduce teen pedestrian crashes was launched at Seneca Valley High School in Germantown where, in October 2012, 15-year-old Christina Morris-Ward was struck and killed as she distractedly crossed the street on her way to school. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, about half of students ages 15 to 19 say they use a cell phone when walking to school.

The YOLO campaign is a joint project of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation and Montgomery County Public Schools.

Attending the kick off was Christina’s mother Gwendolyn Ward and Seneca Valley High School students. Ward is working to prevent another tragedy from befalling any other teen by helping to educate students about the dangers of crossing the street while texting, listening to music or being otherwise distracted.

The event also highlighted the projects conducted this past school year under the “Walk Your Way” program that encouraged teens to apply for $2,000 grants to create and implement their own pedestrian safety campaigns at their school. More about the YOLO campaign is available online.

Adopt a Road Volunteer Program Posts Gains in Litter Pickups

Adopt a Road and Adopt a Spot volunteers who clean roads and locations throughout Montgomery County increased the amount of trash collected by 17 percent and the number of cleanings by 26 percent since last fiscal year. Less than half the volunteer groups reported on their activities, but those that did conducted 654 cleanings, collecting the equivalent of 2,654, 50-gallon bags of trash.

Adopt a Road Volunteers at Work

The program is administered by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) in cooperation with the Keep Montgomery County Beautiful Task Force and has more than 2,500 volunteers who routinely clean about 380 County road segments.

Activity peaked this spring in connection with Earth Month. During April, 43 groups reported conducting 62 cleanings, collecting 19,575 gallons of trash (the equivalent of 435, 50-gallon trash bags).

Visit the MCDOT’s website for more information about adopting a road segment or a spot, and obtain an application. Or, call MCDOT's Office of Community Outreach at 240-777-7155.

Three Bridge Repair Projects Completed

                                        Completed East Deer Park Bridge

Two Whites Ferry Road bridges and the Gaithersburg East Deer Park "Humpback" Bridge have now reopened to traffic. East Deer Park Road, between Central Avenue and Railroad Street, is also open. 

CSX train contractor Clark Civil completed structural modifications to bring the East Deer Park Bridge up to current standards.

Update on Road Maintenance Projects

The Department of Transportation’s Division of Highway Services (DHS) is resurfacing residential roads using hot mix asphalt that preserves pavement for many years. Repaving is underway in the Goshen Estates neighborhood, Gaithersburg and Avery Village, Derwood in September. Both projects will take two to three weeks to complete, weather permitting. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Resurfacing with hot mix asphalt is also underway in Kensington Heights. The project is expected to take eight to 10 weeks to complete Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For projects to preserve pavement, DHS will complete full-depth pavement patching; seal cracks; apply a micro surfacing material; sweep residual stone; and repaint lane markings. The first phase of work in the Rivers Edge neighborhood, Potomac, began in August and will take about four weeks to complete. Resurfacing will occur in summer/fall. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Old Georgetown Village, North Bethesda, is underway and expected to take four weeks to complete. Work hours are 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., Monday through Friday.

Full-depth, permanent patching projects using hot mix asphalt are underway this month in Old Georgetown Estates, Rockville, Greenhills Farm, Gaithersburg and Northwest Park, Silver Spring. The repairs should take five to 10 days. Work hours are 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Preservation is also underway on Middlebrook Road, from Frederick Road to Great Seneca Highway, Germantown. The project will take about five weeks to complete and will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Other pavement repair projects begun in August are resurfacing Black Rock Road, from Darnestown Road to Burdette Lane, in Germantown, and Notley Road, from New Hampshire Avenue to Bonifant Road, in Colesville.. DHS will complete full-depth pavement patching; seal cracks; apply a chipseal surfacing material; sweep residual stone; and repaint lane markings. Work will take about four to five weeks to complete and will be conducted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday on Black Rock Road and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday on Notley Road.

For more information on resurfacing projects throughout the County, visit the Division of Highway Services’ website or call 311 (outside Montgomery County, call 240-777-0311; TTY, call 301-251-4850), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Montgomery County Launches One-Week Social Media Campaign to Improve School Bus Safety

A weeklong Twitter campaign using #PassItOn is educating drivers about the importance of stopping for school buses to improve the safety of the County’s school children. Montgomery County, Police and public schools are reminding drivers that Maryland law requires them to stop for stopped school buses with activated flashing lights and stop arms. More information about the campaign is available online.

Ride On Schedule Changes Made September 7

The Montgomery County Ride On bus system has adjusted schedule times on the following routes:

Routes, 16, 25, 26, 43, 56, 58, 61, 70, 83 and 90.

Changes were made so schedules more accurately reflect the actual travel times of buses along the routes. Adjustments affect the amount of time trips take as well as the arrival and departure times of the buses.

For more information, including timetables, visit Ride On’s website, call 311, or from outside the County, call 240-777-0311.

State Releases Purple Line Request for Proposals

The Maryland Department of Transportation/Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT/MTA) has announced it is seeking a private-sector team to design, build, construct, finance, operate and maintain the Purple Line during a 35-year contract term. In the two-step procurement process, firms that previously submitted qualifications have been narrowed down to four teams who are now eligible to submit proposals that are due on January 9, 2015.

The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line that will run east/west inside the Capital Beltway between Bethesda in Montgomery County and New Carrollton in Prince George’s County. Twenty-one stations are planned to provide direct connections to Metrorail’s Orange Line, Green Line and two branches of the Red Line, and the MARC Brunswick, Camden and Penn lines. Estimated ridership by 2040 is expected to be more than 74,000 people a day.

Following RFP proposal submissions, MDOT/MTA will select a preferred partner in Spring 2015 and recommend the final agreement to the Board of Public Works for its review and approval. Construction of the new Purple Line could then start in 2015.

(Source: MDOT)