Montgomery County has unveiled the initial designs of the Bus Rapid Transit System. Construction will begin next year once the designs have been finalized.
It won’t be long before Route 29 in Montgomery County will be lined with 11 futuristic looking solar-powered stations -- part of the county’s first Bus Rapid Transit line, along a 13-mile stretch between Silver Spring and Burtonsville. The Bus Rapid Transit Line will be a supplement to the county’s Ride-On buses and D.C. Metrobuses; the first of its kind in the area. Earlier this year the Montgomery County Council committee approved the $7.5 million design of the US 29 route.The county plans to invest $21.5 million initially while the federal government has agreed to provide a $10 million grant towards the project. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="6399,6400"]
In an attempt to be faster and make less stops than regular county and city buses, the Rapid Transit Line will run every 15 minutes -- eight minutes during rush hour -- in separate lanes along the shoulder of the highway and in specified bus only lanes in the downtown portion of Silver Spring.
Each bus will be equipped with USB ports, Wi-Fi and priority signaling at traffic lights. Stations will provide weather shelter, house payment stations and real-time message boards. The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has set out to make the buses as accessible as possible, easy-to-find and use, maintainable, adaptable and context sensitive, comfortable and safe.
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courtesy of Bethesda Chevy Chase Regional Services Center[/caption]
The first Bus Rapid Transit System buses are expected to begin operation in 2020 and Howard County is considering expanding the US 29 Route to downtown Columbia.
What are your thoughts on the new Bus Rapid Transit system? Will you be taking advantage of it once it's finished? Let us know in the comments below.
