Dealing with Montgomery County’s real estate growth is not an easy challenge. There is an alphabet soup of agencies and programs: the ICC (Inter-County Connector), MTA (Maryland Transit Administration), MSHA (Maryland State Highway Administration), MDOT (Maryland Department of Transportation). If you are thinking about moving to Montgomery County, you need to take into account development and transit plans.
One of the key programs on the drawing board to deal with the expected increase in homes in Montgomery County is the CCT – Corridor Cities Transitway, combining ETL’s (express toll lanes), LRT (light rail transit), and BRT (bus rapid transit) as an extension of the Metro subway Red Line. There is debate as to which of these is preferable.
Since the 1980’s this transit system – the I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study has been identified as part of Montgomery County’s planning goals. It was set up to analyze Frederick and Montgomery Counties most congested areas and the goal was to find solutions to ease the congestion along the 30 mile stretch from US 15 to I-270 at Shady Grove Metro. Solutions and options range from highway improvements, BRT and LRT, as well at ETL’s on I-270 at 370 up to Rt. 80 in Frederick
All proposed ETL’s, BRT’s and LRT’s will be managed lanes – separate from regular traffic lanes.
As more and more homes are being built in Clarksburg, this proposal has taken on more urgency. The proposal covers 14 miles extending from Shady Grove Metro to Clarksburg, with planned stops at King Farm, Crown Farm, Quince Orchard Park, NIST, Metropolitan Grove, Germantown and Clarksburg. The Gaithersburg Science City, now known as the Great Seneca Science Corridor Master Plan, depends on this plan to alleviate traffic concerns in the Gaithersburg and Rockville areas.
In 2008, MTA estimated that the CCT ridership could be 26,000-30,000 on an average workday in 2030. Some studies have shown an incredible growth in Montgomery County housing development in 2030. Work continues on planned development along the corridor so that the right of way remains protected and consistent with adopted master plans.
The MTA is examining the feasibility and impact of changing the proposed alignment to better serve the Life Sciences area of Gaithersburg West.
About the Author: Bob Myers, Re/Max Realty Services has been a Realtor in Montgomery County since 1986. Call Bob at 301-910-9910 if you would like more information about homes in Montgomery County Maryland.
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