 Montgomery County Ride On Bus to Resume Collecting Fares on Monday, August 1, with New Rate Set at $1After 28 months of temporarily suspending fare collection due to the COVID-19 health crisis, MCDOT’s Ride On bus system will resume fare collection on all services, including Ride On, Ride On extRa, Flex, and Flash. Fares will continue to be free throughout July. The new fare will be set at $1. The one-way pre-pandemic fare was $2 per ride. Monthly passes, which were $45 per rider prior to the health crisis, will be $22.50 starting Aug. 1. The new fares were supported by County Executive Marc Elrich and approved by the County Council in May. County bus fares will be free for seniors (age 65 and older), persons with disabilities and youth under 19 (older if still in high school). Specialized SmartTrip cards are needed and can be obtained through the MCDOT Mobile Commuter Store, Silver Spring TRiPS Commuter Store, any County library or the Montgomery County Division of Treasury in Rockville. Students can also obtain their specialized ‘Youth Cruiser’ card through their school. For riders transferring from a Metro train or bus, the Ride On Fare will be free. Ride On passengers transferring to a Metro bus will have to pay the $1 difference in fare. The new rates were recommended in a “Fare Equity Study” conducted by MCDOT and released in October. The study recommended the balance of benefits and costs, with benefits primarily accruing to the populations the County is hoping to support. To decrease boarding time and reduce long lines, riders are encouraged to use SmarTrip cards or the SmarTrip mobile app (available for Apple and Android). Riders without pre-paid fares are asked to have the exact fare readily accessible. |
 Montgomery County to Develop Affordable Housing, Add Parks and Operate Parking Garage in Downtown BethesdaLast Thursday, July 14, County Executive Marc Elrich announced an innovative new development project that would transform two Bethesda Parking Lot Districts (PLD), Lots 25 and 44, to almost 300 affordable and deeply affordable housing units. The project is a joint venture with private partners and will also include a greenway between Highland and West Virginia Avenues as envisioned in the Bethesda Downtown Sector Plan. The County Executive was joined at the announcement by Montgomery County Councilmember Andrew Friedson, whose district includes this area. The development will also replace the surface parking spaces with approximately 145 public parking spaces in a turnkey, underground public parking garage owned by MCDOT. The County Executive, MCDOT and the Department of Housing and Community Affairs (DHCA) collaboratively worked on the joint venture to incorporate deeply affordable Moderately Priced Dwelling Units (MPDUs) in the multi-family buildings proposed for Lots 25 and 44. Learn more here. View photos here or watch the press conference here. |
 New Ride On Bus Route 27 Service to Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical Center Began on Sunday, July 17The new route operates between Hillandale Transit Center and the Tech Road Park and Ride lot with stops along Powder Mill Road, Cherry Hill Road, Plum Orchard Drive, Broadbirch Drive, and Tech Road. The route has connections with Metrobus, Ride On, and Flash bus routes, as well as other transportation services within the network. View the bus route 27 map here. |
 ‘Paint the Town’ Competition Adds New Mural to MCDOT’s Bethesda Public Parking Garage at Woodmont AvenueThe “Paint the Town” initiative promotes public art by commissioning local artists to paint murals in Downtown Bethesda. Montgomery County Executive Mark Elrich joined members of the Bethesda arts community, MCDOT and business leaders on Wednesday, July 13 to dedicate a mural on MCDOT’s Woodmont Corner public parking garage, located at 7730 Woodmont Avenue. JahOne was the selected artist and completed the mural. See the mural and photos from the event here. Learn more about the artist and his work here. |
 MCDOT Hosts Summer Rise Program to Teach High School Students About Various Highway Safety PositionsSummer RISE is an initiative led by the Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) for juniors and seniors to participate in a real-life career-based educational learning opportunity, engaging in hands-on learning opportunities related to their field of interest. The program runs during the weekdays beginning Tuesday, July 5 and wraps up with a closing ceremony on Friday, July 29. The MCDOT Highway Services Division keeps our residents safe through clearing trees in roadways, snow removal, flood response, storm management, national disaster response as well as seasonal services like street cleaning and leaf collection. |
 MCDOT’s Priority Bus Project Supports Faster and More Efficient TransportationThe Bus Priority Project provides for the planning, design and construction of improvements to bus service. The Bus Priority Project includes multiple projects that improve local bus timing, ease of access and safety such as marked dedicated bus lanes; queue jumps; passenger boarding and alighting improvements; implementation of transit signal priority; enhanced bus stops; and other similar improvements that will increase reliability and result in faster buses throughout Montgomery County. These improvements will advance the transit network as specified by master plans. Potential improvements may also be identified through other planning and transit operations studies or requested by community members. Faster, safer, and more reliable transit will help encourage residents to ditch their cars in favor of riding the bus. For more details click here. |
 County Council Enacts Legislation Requiring Climate Impact Statements for Future LegislationThe Montgomery County Council unanimously voted Tuesday, July 12 to pass Bill 3-22, requiring a climate assessment for each bill, zoning text amendment, master plan and master plan amendment pending before the Council. The bill aims to curb climate change effects and facilitate the County’s efforts to reach its climate goals. Learn more here. |
 Montgomery Planning Invites Public to Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan Community Event on Friday, July 22Meet Montgomery Parks and Planning staff and other community partners for this fun and engaging, family-friendly community event at the M-NCPPC Fairland Recreational Park (3928 Greencastle Road, Burtonsville, MD) in the north lot from 5 to 8 p.m. Food, music and entertainment will be provided. Participants are encouraged to share ideas on the future of parks and recreation in the Fairland and Briggs Chaney communities, meet community partners from across the county and grab some free treats. No RSVP is required, stop by anytime between 5 and 8 p.m. This event is hosted by Montgomery Planning and is one of a series of community visioning workshops for the Fairland and Briggs Chaney Master Plan. |
 Montgomery Planning Releases Pedestrian Master Plan’s Draft Design, Policy, and Programming RecommendationsMontgomery Planning has released the first draft of the countywide Pedestrian Master Plan and is seeking public comments, officials announced here. Planners are asking the public to attend and provide feedback at community meetings scheduled between 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7 (virtual) and Tuesday, September 13 (in-person). The recommendations vary from physical infrastructure improvements to changing driver behavior and are intended to support elected officials and county departments in their work. |
 MDOT MVA Highway Safety Office Awarded Grant to Help Law Enforcement Combat Impaired DrivingThe Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration’s (MDOT MVA) Highway Safety Office was awarded a grant to support the state’s efforts to prevent motor vehicle crashes involving drug-impaired drivers. The nearly $40,000 grant will help fund advanced training and skill development for Maryland law enforcement agencies to detect drivers under the influence of drugs Between 2016 and 2020, an average of 30 people were killed and nearly 900 injured yearly in Maryland crashes involving a driver impaired by drugs – including illicit drugs and medications. Learn more here. |
METRO UPDATES Weekend Service Adjustments for Saturday, July 23 Through Sunday, July 24 Learn more here. Rockville Metro Station East Side Closure – Temporary Bus Stop Relocations – Extended Through Early October The ongoing Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Administration (WMATA) construction and paving work at the Rockville Metrorail station has been extended through at least early October 2022. All bus stops on the East Side will remain closed and temporarily relocated due to this project, which began on Tuesday, June 7. Bus stops have been moved from the east side to either the west side or on the street at MD 355. Wayfinding signs have been placed at the Metro station to help riders locate their bus stops. Learn more here. |
ROAD CLOSURES Temporary Lane Closures on Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda MCDOT has begun an infrastructure preservation project causing temporary lane closures and some parking restrictions on Rock Spring Drive from Old Georgetown Road to Fernwood Road, Monday through Friday between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. The project will entail full-depth patching, pavement milling, utility adjustments, paving with hot mix asphalt, and replacing lane markings and is expected to be completed in five to six weeks, weather permitting. Access to residences will be available at all times. For questions, contact James Kisner, project manager at 240-777-7623. A Portion of MD 355 Closed for Gas Main Work Washington Gas and NPL Construction has closed the right southbound lane of MD 355 at Marinelli Road during the weeknights between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. to replace a gas main. Work is scheduled to be completed no later than Friday, August 5. Ride On bus operations will not be affected and all business access will remain open. NPL and Washington Gas will communicate with businesses to ensure that normal business will not be affected and all work pertaining to individual business gas service will be at a minimum. For questions contact either: Bradley Swint, NPL Construction Crew Supervisor
571-220-2452 / bswint@gonpl.com David Morgan, WGL Construction Supervisor
571-389-2969 / dmorgan@washgas.com. |
 An Early Look at Plans for New Rail, Pedestrian Bridges Over the PotomacThe $2 billion rail project between D.C. and Virginia is on track to double capacity over the Potomac River by 2030. Virginia is advancing a $2 billion plan to expand freight and passenger train traffic over the Potomac River. The plan calls for a new two-track span parallel to the Long Bridge, which serves as the main route for trains traveling south of the nation’s capital. The new span between Washington and Arlington would double train capacity to support commerce and increasing demands for passenger rail along the busy East Coast corridor. The project will also add a pedestrian and bike bridge between Long Bridge Park in Arlington and East Potomac Park in the District, creating a walkable connection from the growing Crystal City neighborhood to the Southwest Waterfront area. Plans call for the project to be completed by 2030. Read the Washington Post article here. |
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