O’Malley Endorses Bus Rapid Transit for CCT

Gov. Martin O’Malley has endorsed the use of a bus rapid transit system for Montgomery County’s Corridor Cities Transitway, the proposed north-south corridor from the COMSAT facility near Clarksburg to the Shady Grove Metrorail station.

The governor’s office made the announcement Friday.

Capital costs for the 15-mile corridor were estimated at around $828 million. The system would comprise 68 BRT vehicles characterized by low floors and multiple doors that open at sidewalk level, allowing people to walk on and off as they would on the Metro car. 

The BRT vehicles would stop at 16 stations and will travel on the streets, chiefly in rights of way separate from traffic. Travel time from Shady Grove to COMSAT is about 50 minutes, according to the state's estimates.

The CCT would be built in two phases: Phase I would involve a 9-mile segment between Shady Grove and Metropolitan Grove; Phase II would incorporate the 6 miles from Metropolitan Grove to COMSAT. 

BRT service wouldn't be available until 2020.

In January, the in favor of using a BRT system over a light rail system, pivoting from a 6-3 vote in favor of light rail in 2009.

Economic development of the Great Seneca Science Corridor hinges on the funding of the CCT, according to Marilyn Balcombe, chairwoman of the CCT Coalition and executive director of the .

The concern is that without reliable transportation, the biotech businesses the county seeks to attract will look past the Montgomery County.

In December, plans for the BRT from members of the public who attended a presentation at the Upcounty Regional Services Building. Much of the criticism came from Damascus and Clarksburg residents who were unconvinced BRT would improve their weekday commutes. 

The Maryland Transit Administration will submit the project to the Federal Transit Administration under its New Starts Program as the MTA prepares for the preliminary engineering phase of the project, the governor’s office announced Friday.