Residents of Montgomery County are invited to attend an upcoming open house regarding the North Bethesda Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Planning Study. Scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, the event, hosted by the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), will allow community members to learn about and provide input on the new transit corridor. This corridor aims to connect Westfield Montgomery Mall with the North Bethesda Metrorail Station, which was formerly known as White Flint, as per Montgomery County's website.
The forecasted benefits of the North Bethesda Flash BRT include improved transit service frequency, reliability, and speed, potentially utilizing dedicated bus lanes and priority treatments at traffic signals. According to an announcement by MCDOT, the project team seeks public feedback, which could play a role in shaping the project’s future. The BRT service is expected to enhance connectivity to local institutions such as the satellite offices of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), schools, and the Rock Spring and North Bethesda districts.
Information provided by MCDOT indicates that the open house will be held at Walter Johnson High School Cafeteria, located at 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda, from 6 – 8 PM Attendees will be able to interact with the project team, check out materials and maps, provide feedback, and get answers to their questions. A presentation will kick off at 6:30 PM.
The topics include an overview of the proposed BRT alternatives, station locations, and previous community engagements. MCDOT will also share the results of their analysis, contrasting build and no-build scenarios, and outline the next steps in the planning process.
