DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT

The Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) Project is a planned 15-mile Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Montgomery County, Maryland between the COMSAT facility near Clarksburg, Maryland and the Shady Grove Metro Station. The project has two phases.

  • Phase I is a planned nine-mile BRT line operating between the Metropolitan Grove MARC Station and the Shady Grove Metrorail Station. The preliminary engineering and environmental analysis for Phase I was completed with the publication of the Environmental Assessment (EA) in August 2017.
  • Phase II is a planned six-mile extension from Metropolitan Grove to the COMSAT facility south of Clarksburg, which would be developed as land use matures and additional transportation funding becomes available.

Project Purpose & Need

The purpose of the CCT Project is to improve connectivity, mobility, and livability; increase transit capacity; and improve regional air quality by providing premium transit service in the corridor. The CCT Project would help to:

  • Improve inter-modal connections in the corridor;
  • Increase transit capacity and meet transit demand;
  • Enhance mobility;
  • Support economic development and local government master plans to enhance the livability of communities in the corridor; and
  • Improve regional air quality by increasing transit use.

The need for the CCT Project results from:

  • The lack of reliable connections among existing transit routes (including MARC, Metrorail, and local bus network);
  • Existing transit service, which is at or near capacity and transit demand and ridership are forecasted to grow in the future;
  • Roadway congestion, which contributes to unpredictable and slow travel times for automobiles and buses in the corridor;
  • Demand for managed growth and economic development in the region which continues to grow; and
  • A regional goal to improve air quality by providing alternatives to automobile usage.

CCT Project Phase I: Transitway, Stations, and Operations

The CCT Project: Phase I is a nine-mile bus rapid transit (BRT) line operating between the Metropolitan Grove MARC Station and the Shady Grove Metrorail Station. The transitway would travel adjacent to or in the median of existing and proposed roadways for the majority of the alignment with grade-separated crossings of selected roadways at busy intersections. As shown on the map below and identified in the following list, the project includes the transitway with 13 stations and an Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Facility.

CCT Project: Phase I

Two routes would operate along the transitway: CCT Direct Service and CCT via Universities and Shady Grove (USG).

  • CCT Direct Service
    • Operates between the Metropolitan Grove and Shady Grove Stations, stopping at the following 11 stations:
      • Shady Grove Station
      • East Gaither Station
      • West Gaither Station
      • Crown Farm Station
      • DANAC Station
      • LSC Central Station
      • LSC West Station
      • Kentlands Station
      • NIST Station
      • Firstfield Station
      • Metropolitan Grove Station
  • CCT Service via USG
    • Operates between the Metropolitan Grove and Shady Grove Stations, stopping at the 11 stations along the transitway plus an additional two stations (Universities at Shady Grove Station and Traville Gateway Drive Station) via a diversion from the transitway. The 13 stations are as follows:
      • Shady Grove Station
      • East Gaither Station
      • West Gaither Station
      • Crown Farm Station
      • DANAC Station
      • LSC Central Station
      • Universities at Shady Grove Station
      • Traville Gateway Drive Station
      • LSC West Station
      • Kentlands Station
      • NIST Station
      • Firstfield Station
      • Metropolitan Grove Station
    • Buses traveling outbound from the Shady Grove Station on this route would leave the transitway after the Life Sciences Center (LSC) Central Station, stop at the USG and Traville Gateway Drive Stations, return to the transitway, and stop at the LSC West Station and all stations to the Metropolitan Grove Station.

CCT Project: Phase I service would operate seven days per week. The hours of operation would be consistent with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Red Line Metrorail service for weekday and weekend service. WMATA Metrorail service begins at 5:00 AM on weekdays and 7:00 AM on weekends, and ends at 12:00 AM on Sunday through Thursday or 3:00 AM on Friday and Saturday.

The CCT Project: Phase I would include parking at five stations: Shady Grove Station, Crown Farm Station, LSC West Station, Kentlands Station, and Metropolitan Grove Station. To maintain the CCT vehicles, an O&M Facility would be located near the Metropolitan Grove Station.

Please see the CCT Project: Phase I EA Chapter 2: Alternatives Considered for additional information.

CCT Project: Phase II

The CCT Project: Phase II would extend the Phase I alignment by six miles and would add four BRT stations:

  • Germantown
  • Cloverleaf
  • Dorsey Mill
  • COMSAT

The CCT Project: Phase II would be extended on a dedicated transitway, generally following an alignment as described below:

  • Parallel the west side of I-270 from Metropolitan Grove Station to Middlebrook Road
  • Aerial crossing of Middlebrook Road and along the western edge of the Department of Energy (DOE)
  • Tunnel under Germantown Road
  • Median of Century Boulevard
  • Median of Dorsey Mill Road (future extension over I-270)
  • Median of Observation Drive (future extension to Clarksburg, MD) to COMSAT Station