At its October 3 meeting, the Montgomery County Planning Board voted to consider removing the unbuilt northern and southern extensions of Midcounty Highway Extended (M-83), including the adjacent unbuilt bikeway, from the master plan.
Midcounty Highway (M-83) was first included in Montgomery County’s Master Plan of Highways in the 1960s. It is planned to extend from Ridge Road (MD 27) in Clarksburg to Redland Road in Derwood as an 8.7-mile, controlled access, four to six-lane major highway. Over the years, a three-mile segment of Midcounty Highway was constructed between Shady Grove Road and Montgomery Village Avenue as well as a short two-lane section from Middlebrook Road to Grassy Knoll Terrace.
According to Montgomery Planning, “This decision follows public testimony the Planning Board heard during MPOHT’s Sept 12 public hearing, where many advocated for the removal of M-83’s unbuilt portions from the master plan. This modification would remove the planned extension between Montgomery Village Avenue and Ridge Road as well as the section between MD 200/ICC and Shady Grove Road from the MPOHT.”
The Planning Board is hosting two community meetings in October to gather community feedback about whether to keep or remove these unbuilt sections of Midcounty Highway Extended from the MPOHT:
• Monday, Oct 21: Virtual meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. RSVP for October 21 (required to receive meeting link).
• Wednesday, Oct 23: Neelsville Middle School, 11700 Neelsville Church Rd, Germantown, MD from 6 to 8 p.m. RSVP for October 23.
The Planning Board will also hold a second MPOHT public hearing on November 14 at 6:30 p.m. to receive additional community testimony about the unbuilt sections of M-83. We encourage community members to sign up to testify live at the hearing either in-person or online via Microsoft Teams. Written comments can also be shared with the Planning Board via email by noon on Thursday, November 28, 2024. Written comments must reference the hearing date, the item, and a mailing address.
Read more about the issue on MPOHT’s 2024 technical update website and check out the updated M-83 website. Featured photos shows Midcounty Highway, courtesy of Google Maps