WMATA, Maryland Officials to Extend Bus Lane Pilot

Almost seven miles of bus-only lanes on state roads within Montgomery County, Md., will stay in place through at least December as part of an extended pilot project agreement among the Maryland and Montgomery County Departments of Transportation and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).

The bus-only lanes along Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road were installed this summer to help move shuttle bus customers along faster during the Red Line construction work.

Building on Success

More than a million transit customer trips benefited from faster travel times or improved reliability since the bus lanes were implemented, which provided a viable alternative to driving during the WMATA shutdown and offset CO2 emissions.

The agency closed a section of the Red Line to allow construction crews to build connections with the Maryland Transit Administration’s Purple Line light rail project. WMATA also performed maintenance and station upgrades at five stations, which are set to reopen in September.

Metro, the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA), and the Montgomery County Department of Transportation will continue to evaluate the success of the lanes, working collaboratively to alleviate congestion and speed up buses.

“These temporary bus lanes are a successful collaboration between the Maryland Department of Transportation, Montgomery County, and WMATA and highlight a low-cost project that has a high impact on the communities it serves,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld. “Extending the pilot through the end of the year will allow us to evaluate the project’s effectiveness and examine opportunities to speed up buses through additional targeted bus lane improvements in Maryland.”

Benefits of Bus Lanes

More than 15,000 average daily riders use the Metrobus and Ride On routes on Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road.

“We are thankful for the collaboration with Maryland and Montgomery County,” said WMATA GM Randy Clarke. “Dedicated bus lanes are one of the best tools to move many people through a corridor quickly. We are excited to see the results of this pilot and are encouraged by Maryland’s efforts to increase bus speeds.”

With dedicated lanes, buses don’t get stuck behind other traffic. This summer local bus service moved the fastest it ever has, despite additional bus volumes with the shuttle buses. Meanwhile, travel times for drivers in the corridor remained constant.

During the fall, MDOT and Montgomery County DOT will analyze data and make changes to the lanes to make them more efficient. They will also review how dedicating travel lanes to buses affects traffic when schools are in session and the region’s workers are back from summer travels.

The pilot extension is a regional effort by transportation departments to advance faster, more convenient bus service in the Washington metro area.