Corridor Cities Transitway

The Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) proposal is for a 15-mile (24 km) 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^[3] and the project has been removed from the development and evaluation phase of the Consolidated Transportation Plan.^[4] “'From all indications, the project is dead,' said state Del. Kirill Reznik (D-Montgomery)."^[5]

A map of the officially proposed transitway route (orange), with an alternate alignment proposed by the Action Committee for Transit (blue).
Overview
System	Maryland Transit Administration
Garage	Metropolitan Grove station
Status	Proposed
Route
Route type	Bus rapid transit
Locale	Montgomery County, Maryland
Start	Metropolitan Grove station
End	Shady Grove station
Length	15 mi (24 km)[1]
Stops	13[1]
Other routes	CCT Service via Universities at Shady Grove
Service
Level	Daily
Frequency	3.5 minutes peak, 6 minutes mid-day, 10 minutes off-peak
Weekend frequency	10 minutes
Journey time	38 minutes
Operates	4:30 AM - 1:00 AM
Ridership	35,900 (2035)[1]

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 9 miles (14 km) of the route.^[6] 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 6 miles (9.7 km). The state is applying for federal grants for the project.^[7]

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.^{[citation needed]}

Funding for the project was not included in Maryland's proposed transportation budget, pushing the project out at least six years.^[3] 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."^[4]

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]

References

1. "Description of Project - Corridor Cities Transitway". Corridor Cities Transitway. Maryland Transit Administration. Retrieved 2016-04-20.
2. Montgomery County Planning Department, Silver Spring, MD. "Corridor Cities Transitway." Accessed 2013-10-15.
3. Shaver, Katherine (2016-10-04). "Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan delays funding for transitway in upper Montgomery". Washington Post.
4. "Updated: State Ends Commitment to Corridor Cities Transitway". Bethesda Magazine. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
5. Kurtz, Josh (2019-09-24). "Montgomery Pols Fume as State Ends Funding for Transit Project". Maryland Matters. Retrieved 2019-09-24.
6. Maryland Transit Administration. "Governor O’Malley Announces $100 Million in Transportation Investment for the CCT Project." Corridor Cities Transitway. Accessed 2013-10-15.
7. Shaver, Katherine (2013-07-27). "Work on Montgomery transitway is scaled back". Washington Post.
8. "Maryland cuts funding for Corridor Cities Transitway". The Washington Post. 2019-09-24. Archived from the original on 2019-09-24. Retrieved 2019-09-24.

External links

• "Corridor Cities Transitway" - Main project site (Maryland Transit Administration)
• Maryland State Highway Administration - Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Section 4(f) Evaluation
• Action Committee for Transit - A group supporting transit in Maryland.
• BeyondDC: Corridor Cities Controversy - A critique of planning for the proposed route.