Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Andrew Friedson to Join Dedication of Bus Lanes on University Boulevard in Wheaton on Friday, March 8

For Immediate Release: Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Friday, March 8. 10 a.m. 
Wheaton Forest Local Park 
1700 University Blvd. West, Wheaton 

Montgomery County will commemorate the opening of dedicated bus lanes on University Boulevard in Wheaton at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 8, outdoors at Wheaton Forest Local Park. 

The addition of dedicated bus lanes along the two-mile corridor between Amherst Avenue and Dennis Avenue allow buses to travel faster along one of the area’s busiest and most-congested corridors. The route has critical service connections for riders to Metrorail, Ride On, Metro buses and the Silver Spring Transit Center. The route along University Boulevard is the second-highest ridership route for Metrobus, carrying more than 9,000 riders each weekday.  

The lanes have been completed and were put into use on Monday, Feb. 19. Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will monitor the bus lanes as a pilot program for the next 12 months. The results of the data collected will be evaluated and released in December 2025 to assess if the bus lanes are beneficial. 

The dedicated bus lanes on University Boulevard are part of a larger MCDOT effort, the Bus Priority Project, that will advance similar bus-only lanes in Montgomery County. 

WHAT: Opening of University Boulevard Dedicated Bus Lanes   

WHEN: Friday, March 8. 10 a.m. 

WHERE: Wheaton Forest Local Park, 1700 University Blvd. West, Wheaton (Overlooking the red bus lanes on University Boulevard. Nearby park shelter will be used in case of rain.) 

WHO: 

• Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich 
• Montgomery County Council President Andrew Friedson 
• Montgomery County Councilmember and Transportation and Environment Committee Chair Evan Glass and Councilmembers Gabe Albornoz, Natali Fani-González and Will Jawando 
• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Senior Vice President, Bus Services, Leroy Jones 
• Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administrator Will Pines  
• MCDOT Director Chris Conklin 

PHOTO OP: Red dedicated bus lanes run along the park border and are visible behind the speakers. Montgomery County Ride On and WMATA buses will be parked in the nearby parking lot and available for pictures/b-roll following the speaking portion of the event.  

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Release ID: 24-029
Media Contact: Emily DeTitta, 240-372-2282