Press Releases - Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Friday, November 17, 2023

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has started lane painting to create dedicated bus lanes on University Boulevard (MD 193) between Amherst Avenue and Dennis Avenue in Wheaton. MCDOT expects to complete the project in early December. The dedicated bus lanes will provide faster Ride On and Metrobus service on this vital corridor, improving the connection between Four Corners and Metrorail at Wheaton Station.

The new lanes will be designated with red paint and “Bus Only” text. Installation of the bus lanes will involve paint and signage with minimal construction impacts to travelers, community members and local businesses. The dedicated bus lanes will be closely monitored by MCDOT as a pilot program for 12 months. An evaluation will be done in December 2025 to confirm that the bus lanes are beneficial on this corridor.

“Montgomery County continues to enjoy tremendous growth; we are projected to have an almost 30-percent increase in jobs in our region over the next 30 years,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “An efficient and reliable public transportation system is key to accommodating a growing population. The dedicated bus lanes along University Boulevard will ensure riders are able to access jobs or other opportunities with less traffic congestion and a lower environmental footprint than by car.”

The addition of dedicated bus lanes along the two-mile corridor between Amherst Avenue and Dennis Avenue will allow buses to travel without traffic obstruction along one of the area’s busiest corridors. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)’s C2 and C4 Metrobus lines, which operate along the route, carry more than 9,000 riders each weekday, the second-highest ridership in the D.C. region.

The bus lanes are an initiative of the MCDOT Bus Priority Project to improve bus service in Montgomery County. WMATA partnered with MCDOT to seek approval for the project from the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT/SHA), which maintains jurisdiction over the State road.

The new bus lanes also will allow for emergency vehicles and bicycles. Cars can enter the bus lane only to make a right turn, no more than 100 feet before the turn.

“Dedicated bus lanes benefit everyone,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “The intended outcome is to increase bus ridership by providing more reliable and faster service. We know that if we want more people to use the bus, we have to compete with cars by being faster and more convenient. This project will help us achieve that. Additionally, the bus lanes will provide more separation from higher-speed traffic for people walking along University Boulevard and will reduce the number of cars in the right lane, improving conditions for bicyclists.”

Details about the dedicated bus lane project on University Boulevard can be found on the Bus Priority University Boulevard project page.

For more information on MCDOT programs and services visit montgomerycountymd.gov/mcdot, follow @MCDOTNow on X, Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to MCDOT’s “Go Montgomery!” newsletter.

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Release ID: 23-127
Media Contact: Rebecca Mellema, 202-774-7371