Ceremony Honors Winners of the Keep Montgomery County Clean and Green Competitions

Ruppert Landscape Company won Award of Excellence for six landscaping projects
throughout Montgomery County. 

MCDOT, in partnership with the Department of Environmental Protection, announced 61 winners of its 30th annual Keep Montgomery County Clean and Green landscape beautification contest. Others honored were 18 amateur photographers and two Adopt A Road program Clean Sweep Award winners. Read more.

Leggett, Sarbanes, Kittleman, Berliner, Roshdieh and Coalition of Supporters Launch Naming Contest for Bus Rapid Transit System

Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett launched the start of a naming contest to brand the County’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, which in the next few years is expected to greatly expand the transportation options available in the County. A broad coalition of supporters attended the event along US 29, which is expected to be the first BRT in the State of Maryland and could serve both Montgomery and Howard counties.  Read more.  

MCDOT Leads the Way with White Flint Projects to Enhance Walkable Streets

Montgomery County has started working on the first of two phases of the White Flint West Workaround transportation project, an effort designed to create a pedestrian-friendly community where residents and visitors can walk to work, shops and transit. The first phase is scheduled to be completed by the end of calendar year 2017. Read more.

PHASE ONE – WESTERN WORKAROUND

MCDOT’s Division of Transportation Engineering is Making Progress on Major Construction Projects

MCDOT’s Division of Transportation Engineering (DTE) designs and constructs transportation systems and infrastructure, including bikeways, sidewalks, transit facilities, ADA ramps, roads and storm drains; inspects, maintains and builds bridges; and acquires property for projects.

DTE has a number of major projects under construction and uses Twitter to keep the public informed about its progress on these efforts, including:

• Maryland 355 Crossing
• Stringtown Road   #StringtownRd
• Elmhirst Parkway Bridge  #Elmhirstpkwy
• Needwood Road Bike Path (Phase I)  #NeedwoodBP1
• White Flint Western Workaround Phase I  #whiteflintwest
•  Hyattstown Sidewalk  #HyattstownSW
• Glenbrook Road Contraflow Bike Lane  #GlenbrookRd
• Gude Road Sidewalk  #GudeSW
• Germantown Road Culvert  #GermantownCulvert
•  Agricultural Farm Road Bridge  #AgFarmbridge
• Snouffer School Road (South)  #Snouffersouth

Tobytown Celebrates Launch of Ride On Bus Service

Tobytown residents held a celebration on November 15 to thank County officials and others for starting a new Ride On bus service, Route 301, that operates between Tobytown Drive in Potomac and Rockville Metro Station. View Mymcmedia’s coverage of the event.  Ride On began charging regular fares on the Route 301 on Monday, November 21. Learn more. 

MCDOT Honors Outstanding Staff at Employee of the Year Awards Ceremony

 Pictured (from left to right) are Parking Division Chief Jose Thomanna,
Veeda Wilkinson and MCDOT Director Al Roshdieh.

On November 15, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) held an annual recognition for its “best of the best” employees.  Each Division and the Director’s Office nominate candidates and only 30 were chosen out of 1,320 MCDOT employees. In addition, those with 20, 25, 30 and 35 years of service with the County were also honored. Read more.

MCDOT’s Celebration of Parking Day Featured in Parking Professional Magazine

In September, MCDOT observed International PARK(ing) Day by making selected public parking spaces available to be creatively transformed into fun, parklike spots. The successful event was featured in the Parking Professional magazine along with events in other communities. See the full article. MCDOT is featured on page 4. 

Metrorail SafeTrack Surge 10 Ends November 22

The last SafeTrack Surge to affect the Metrorail Red Line, the system’s busiest line, ends November 22. To help travelers, Ride On operated free shuttle buses between Silver Spring, Takoma and the Fort Totten Metrorail stations during weekday rush hours, carrying between 1,500 and 2,000 daily riders. MCDOT also assisted in other ways. Learn more.

Visual and Literary Arts to be Incorporated into Purple Line Station Designs

This handout image shows what the exterior of the Purple Line light railcars would look like. The rendering is based
 on the railcars used in Houston. (Courtesy Maryland Transit Administration)

The Purple Line team invites the public to attend a “Meet the Artists” public meeting on November 30 and share information about their community’s unique history and culture with 87 invited artists. The artists will use the information to prepare proposals for artwork to be incorporated at stations along the route. Learn more.

In addition, the Maryland Transit Administration Project Management Consultant for the Purple Line seeks literary artists to create a story to be integrated into the design and infrastructure of the future Purple Line transit corridor. Qualifications are due December 1.  Read more.

MCDOT Wins $240,000 Grant to Install Bikeshare Stations in White Flint and Twinbrook

Look for seven new Bikeshare stations in White Flint and Twinbrook in 2018. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has won a $240,588 Maryland Bikeways Program grant from the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) to establish five Bikeshare stations: a four-station satellite Capital Bikeshare network in White Flint and a station in Twinbrook.  In addition, working cooperatively with MCDOT, the City of Rockville received a grant award for two stations in Twinbrook.  Read more.

New Bikeshare Station Installed

MCDOT is installing its 58th Bikeshare station.  It has 15-docks and is located at the corner of Sligo Avenue and Carroll Lane in Silver Spring. Cyclists using the new Bikeshare station can easily reach the Silver Spring Metro, which is about a mile away, by riding on the marked, wide road shoulders on Sligo Avenue.

MCDOT to Begin Improvement Project at MD 28 and Riffle Ford Road

On Wednesday, November 9, the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) began construction of a project to improve safety and traffic flow at the intersection of MD 28 (Darnestown Road) and Riffle Ford Road. Read more.

Street Smart Launches Fall Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety Campaign

The regional Street Smart pedestrian and bicyclist safety initiative is promoting safety this fall with stepped up enforcement of traffic laws and public education throughout the region. Safety experts warn that the end of daylight savings time brings darker evening commuting hours and greater risks for pedestrians and bicyclists. Read more.

MCDOT Prepares for Winter Storm Season

On November 1, Highway Services held a mock snow clearing exercise to test the preparedness of the County’s snow plans and fleet. On the following day, MCDOT held its annual snow summit to discuss its snow plan and new initiatives. County Executive Ike Leggett was a featured speaker. Read more.

Annual Snow Summit held at the Gaithersburg Depot

Leggett, Roshdieh Participate in Ribbon Cutting for Public Service Training Academy Opening

Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett and Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Director Al Roshdieh took part in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Public Safety Training Academy (PSTA). The facility has new training classrooms and a training track for Ride On bus operators. Read more.  

MTA Utility Work to Close Lanes on Wisconsin Avenue this Weekend

On Saturday, November 12 and Sunday, November 13, utility relocations will occur in preparation for construction of a new Bethesda Metrorail Station South Entrance that will require double lane closures on both northbound and southbound Wisconsin Avenue between MD 410 (East-West Highway) and MD 191 (Bradley Boulevard). Read more.

Leaf Vacuum Collection Began November 7 and Continues Through Mid-December

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s Division of Highway Services (DHS) began its annual collection of leaves in the vacuum leaf collection district on November 7. DHS provides two collections on every district street during the fall. A third collection may also be provided on an as-needed basis. Read more.

Ride On Seeks Members for Transit Advisory Group

Ride On is looking for Montgomery County residents who use the bus service and would like to volunteer to serve on the Transit Advisory Group, which provides a user perspective to the Division of Transit Services. Members serve a two-year term. Expressions of interest are due November 15. More information is available online.

Reminder: Call-n-Ride Eligibility Age Has Been Reduced to 65

MCDOT’s Call-n-Ride program provides subsidized taxi trips for low-income persons with disabilities and seniors.  The eligibility age was recently reduced to those 65 and older. Learn more.