Montgomery County Council Approves Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan

Per Montgomery County:

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, April 5, 2022

Corridor Forward seeks to improve public transit, accessibility and mobility along I-270 corridor

ROCKVILLE, Md., April 5, 2022—Today the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed a resolution approving Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan. The plan will help guide the future of public transit along the I-270 corridor and surrounding communities and encourages continued growth of key activity centers and industry clusters.

“The I-270 Corridor Forward Plan will play an important role in shaping the future of public transit, accessibility and mobility along the I-270 corridor and other nearby communities,” said Council President Gabe Albornoz. “This master plan will also encourage continued growth of a sustainable transit network comprised of dedicated bus lanes, an extension of Metro’s Red Line, enhanced MARC service along the Brunswick Line, the re-envisioning of the Corridor Cities Transitway in the Upcounty and affirms our commitment to invest in transportation in the 21st century.”

“This plan presents a long-term vision for the future of public transit in Montgomery County with a focus on transit accessibility and regional connectivity. I’m excited that the plan includes Bus Rapid Transit on two of our major transit corridors as an immediate recommendation and includes input from our municipal partners to ensure the plan is reflective of the needs of all our communities along the I-270 corridor,” said Councilmember Tom Hucker, who chairs the Transportation and Environment Committee. “I’m also thrilled there is a focus on MARC rail expansion, which many of us have spent years advocating for in Montgomery County and beyond. I’m hopeful that Corridor Forward will help finally deliver what our residents deserve — significant improvements to MARC rail services and enhanced connectivity throughout the entire I-270 corridor.”

Corridor Forward is a functional master plan that looks ahead 25 years from the date of adoption. The plan was drafted by the Montgomery County Planning Department with recommendations and input from Department of Transportation (MCDOT) staff.

Corridor Forward contains recommendations for a near-term network of dedicated bus lanes and a long-term vision of an extension of Metrorail’s Red Line and enhanced MARC service along the Brunswick Line.

The near-term network of dedicated bus lanes builds on existing master planned projects, including the MD 355 and Veirs Mill Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) projects to create a transit network that serves communities and employment centers along the I-270 corridor.

Corridor Forward re-envisions the master planned Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) as a network of dedicated bus lanes, which connect the I-270 corridor communities to the county’s existing and planned rapid transit network.

This plan recommends the MD 355 BRT and Veirs Mill Road BRT as crucial first steps in improving transit accessibility along the I-270 corridor. Incremental implementation of the Corridor Connectors and efforts to advance the Red Line extension and MARC commuter rail enhancements are included in the plan’s long-term vision.

The Council staff report for Corridor Forward: The I-270 Transit Plan can be found here.