SILVER SPRING, Md. — Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett says he’s optimistic about the future of his new proposal for a bus rapid transit system in the congested Rockville Pike and Route 29 corridors.
He unveiled the plan last week, calling for local and state funding.
“People are anxious for us to get started,” Leggett says. “I’ve received a great deal of enthusiastic response from the public and from elected officials.”
Bus rapid transit (BRT) utilizes high frequency service, multiple wide doors, dedicated roadways and other features to move passengers around more quickly and efficiently.
Leggett proposed spending $12.75 million to plan, design and market BRT in the county. The county would spend $5 million for planning on Rockville Pike, $6.5 million for planning and design on Route 29 and $1.25 million for branding, community education and marketing.
The county council would need to approve that funding.
Additionally, Leggett is asking the state to pitch in $5 million for the BRT planning on Rockville Pike.
Leggett hopes to get the Route 29 BRT system up and running as soon as possible. Much of that route would use roadway shoulders as a dedicated bus lane.
“We think that we can actually deliver that complete plan in less than four years,” he says.
Last year, Leggett was unsuccessful in his push for an independent county transit authority that would have helped fund a network of BRT lines.
