Corridor Cities Transitway Explained

System:Maryland Transit Administration
Garage:Metropolitan Grove station
Status:Proposed
Routetype:Bus rapid transit
Locale:Montgomery County, Maryland
Start:Metropolitan Grove station
End:Shady Grove station
Length:15miles[1]
Stops:13
Otherroutes:CCT Service via Universities at Shady Grove
Level:Daily
Frequency:3.5 minutes peak, 6 minutes mid-day, 10 minutes off-peak
Alt Frequency:10 minutes
Time:38 minutes
Day:4:30 AM - 1:00 AM
Ridership:35,900 (2035)

The Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) proposal is for a 15miles bus rapid transit line in Maryland that would run from the Shady Grove Metro station in Gaithersburg northwest to Clarksburg.[2] The proposed master plans for Montgomery County and Frederick County provide for the eventual extension of the CCT northward along I-270 into Frederick City. The project is in jeopardy now that funding is not available from the state and the project has been removed from the development and evaluation phase of the Consolidated Transportation Plan.[3] “'From all indications, the project is dead,' said state Del. Kirill Reznik (D-Montgomery)."[4]

History

On August 5, 2013, the State of Maryland announced that $100 million has been budgeted for planning, final design, and right-of-way acquisition for the first phase of the project, which comprises 9miles of the route.[5] As of 2012, the Phase I cost was estimated at $545 million, and the total project cost was estimated to be $828 million. No funding has been allocated for the second phase, which would cover the remaining 6miles. The state is applying for federal grants for the project.[6]

A study was performed by the Maryland Transit Administration in coordination with the larger I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study conducted by the Maryland Department of Transportation, examining multiple options for the region including possible Express toll lanes along I-270.

Funding for the project was not included in Maryland's proposed transportation budget, pushing the project out at least six years.[7] Subsequently, the state removed the project from the development and evaluation phase of the Consolidated Transportation Plan. "The state’s change is a death knell for the long-anticipated project ... said state Del. Kirill Reznik."

Erin Henson, spokeswoman for the Maryland Department of Transportation, said the state would only be involved if the project connected “multiple jurisdictions in more than one county" but the CCT “is solely located in one county, making Montgomery County the lead for future work on this local project.”[8]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Description of Project - Corridor Cities Transitway . Maryland Transit Administration . Corridor Cities Transitway . 2016-04-20.
  2. Montgomery County Planning Department, Silver Spring, MD. "Corridor Cities Transitway." Accessed 2013-10-15.
  3. Web site: Updated: State Ends Commitment to Corridor Cities Transitway. 2019-09-23. Bethesda Magazine. en-US. 2019-09-24.
  4. Web site: Montgomery Pols Fume as State Ends Funding for Transit Project. Kurtz. Josh. 2019-09-24. Maryland Matters. en-US. 2019-09-24.
  5. Maryland Transit Administration. "Governor O’Malley Announces $100 Million in Transportation Investment for the CCT Project." Corridor Cities Transitway. Accessed 2013-10-15.
  6. News: Work on Montgomery transitway is scaled back . Katherine . Shaver . Washington Post . 2013-07-27.
  7. News: Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan delays funding for transitway in upper Montgomery . Katherine . Shaver . Washington Post . 2016-10-04.
  8. Web site: Maryland cuts funding for Corridor Cities Transitway. 2019-09-24. The Washington Post. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20190924233016/https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/maryland-cuts-funding-for-corridor-cities-transitway/2019/09/24/ba160de6-dee4-11e9-8dc8-498eabc129a0_story.html . 2019-09-24 . 2019-09-24.