DOT Transportation Engineering Projects

 
 

US29 Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

Flash on US 29 started service in October 2020. Learn more at RidetheFlash.com

Transit Project

Project Manager:
Corey Pitts, AICP, Planning Section Manager
Transportation Planning and Design
100 Edison Park, 4th Floor
Gaithersburg, MD,20878
Corey.Pitts@montgomerycountymd.gov
240-777-7217 (office)

Project Description

Flash on US 29 started service in October 2020. Learn more at RidetheFlash.com.

MCDOT is looking at ways to make Flash on US 29 even better as part of the US 29 Mobility Study.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is constructing a new transit line, called Flash, along US 29 (Colesville Rd). Flash is a bus-based rapid transit system with features that improve reliability, so you can get where you need to go quickly. US 29 Flash will operate between Burtonsville and Silver Spring and open in 2020.

US 29 Flash will:

  • Use existing bus-on-shoulder lanes on US 29 in the northern section of the corridor.
  • Operate in mixed traffic in the southern section of US 29 and along Lockwood Drive, Stewart Lane, Briggs Chaney Road, and Castle Boulevard.

 

Service plans include:

  • Running every 7.5 minutes during the peak period (AM and PM rush hours) and every 15 minutes during the off-peak.
  • Span of service from 5 am to midnight, 7 days/week.
  • Transit signal priority installed at 15 intersections along the corridor to provide traffic signal benefits to BRT vehicles where appropriate, reducing travel time and increasing reliability.
    Service plans are subject to change.

Routes / Upcoming Projects:

Related Projects:

Project Map

Flash features and amenities include:

  • Frequent, reliable service
  • New, enhanced vehicles are equipped with WiFi and USB ports and accommodate bicycles onboard
  • New, comfortable stations provide weather protection, pre-payment stations, and real-time transit information (via message boards)
  • Community-friendly design provides enhanced pedestrian walkways, bike facilities and bikeshare stations
  • Level boarding allows for easy on, easy off

Additional project information:

Documents

Flash on US 29 started service in October 2020. Learn more at  RidetheFlash.com.

MCDOT is looking at ways to make Flash on US 29 even better as part of the  US 29 Mobility Study.

Resources

Presentations

Additional Information

Open Houses

Fall 2017 Outreach Memos:

Corridor Advisory Committee (CAC)

Corridor Advisory Committees (CACs) were created in 2015 as part of the Montgomery County Department of Transportation’s (MCDOT) planned Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service on US 29 from the Burtonsville to downtown Silver Spring. The committee is made up of residents, business owners, and other stakeholders along the corridor. The CAC meetings allow MCDOT to both give updates on the project to members of the community and to gather feedback from stakeholders along this portion of the corridor.

For more information on this corridor, see the Countywide Transit Corridors Functional Master Plan.

Meeting Documents

CAC Members

TIGER Funding for Flash on US29

Description

Montgomery County was selected by the United States Department of Transportation for a $10 million TIGER grant (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) to help fund a 14-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system along US 29. The TIGER program is merit-based and highly competitive.

The Flash on US 29 project will transform mobility options with the implementation of a 14-mile BRT service on the eastern edge of Montgomery County, Maryland. This project will improve transit reliability and opportunities for low-income and minority populations, enhance planned mixed-use redevelopment transforming an auto-oriented single-purpose development into vibrant, mixed-use urban centers, provide access to a fast-growing jobs corridor, and enhance the quality of life for over 120,000 people who live within a half-mile of this highly congested suburban corridor.

TIGER Project Information