Press Releases - Department of Transportation

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, November 3, 2021

Montgomery County’s Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC) will hold a virtual meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10, to provide an update and seek feedback on the future Veirs Mill Road Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)/Flash Bus project.

During the meeting organized by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), residents will be asked for their views on station access and design. MCDOT recently completed preliminary engineering and is preparing to begin the final design. All CAC meetings are open to the public.

“The Flash expansion will improve mobility options in Montgomery County,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “This project will improve transit for low-income and minority populations, helping us reach our equity goals. The Flash will provide increased access to a robust jobs corridor and enhance the quality of life for many of our residents while providing another amenity to attract more businesses to open up in our County.”

The Veirs Mill Road BRT will be a seven-mile, limited-stop, branded bus service with 12 stations planned along Veirs Mill Road. The line will be part of the County’s Flash Bus service. Flash already is operating on Route 29. Stations are designed to make boarding the buses easier, accelerate travel time and increase transit equity.

BRT can improve passenger transit mobility by connecting riders to urban areas and employment centers. The Veirs Mill Road Corridor has long been considered for upgraded transit, as it accommodates some of the highest transit ridership in Montgomery County.

BRT is a modern, flexible, affordable, premium form of transportation that combines features of a bus and a light rail system. BRT features include:

Frequent, reliable service.
Bus lanes at intersections that allow buses to keep moving, known as queue jump lanes.
Dedicated bus lanes in some parts of the corridor, reducing traffic delays.
Priority green light signaling, allowing for shorter travel times.
Near-level boarding at multiple doors, facilitating quick and efficient boarding and exiting.
Comfortable stations providing weather protection, pre-payment stations and real-time transit information via message boards.
Community-friendly design with enhanced pedestrian walkways and bike facilities.

“Corridor Advisory Committees are an integral part of our Bus Rapid Transit/Flash planning for US 29, MD 355 and Veirs Mill Road. These Committees are a way for us to give project updates and get feedback from residents and businesses,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin.

“We recently celebrated the US 29 Flash’s one-year anniversary. Despite the pandemic, we had about 500,000 riders. BRT systems have a drastic impact on the neighborhoods they serve and gathering feedback from the community helps us best shape our service.”

To register to attend the virtual CAC meeting, click here. To learn more about Flash, click here.

For questions on the virtual CAC meeting, please contact Project Manager Michael Mitchell at Michael.Mitchell@montgomerycountymd.gov.

For ongoing updates, follow @MCDOTNow on Twitter, visit the department website at montgomerycountymd.gov/dot and subscribe to MCDOT’s ‘Go Montgomery!’ newsletter.

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Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282 or emily.detitta@montgomerycountymd.gov

Release ID: 21-151
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282