MoCo Receives $87M For Flash Bus Rapid Transit, Pedestrian Safety

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — The Maryland Board of Public Works approved more than $87 million in funding for pedestrian improvement projects and advancing the Flash Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) network in Montgomery County, the county said Wednesday.

The State funds were allocated to Montgomery County through a General Assembly Bond Bill passed in 2022. An additional $6 million was allocated to the MD355 Flash BRT corridor in a fiscal year 2021 bond bill.

The funding also will be used as a local match for two federal transportation grants including the Federal Small Starts Capital Investment grant for Veirs Mill Road Flash BRT and the Federal New Starts grant for MD 355 Flash BRT.

Flash is Montgomery County’s BRT service. BRT systems such as Flash are designed to arrive every few minutes, have upgraded amenities, pre-boarding payment, priority traffic light signaling and dedicated lanes where possible.

“I want to thank the Maryland Board of Public Works — Governor Wes Moore, Treasurer Dereck Davis and Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman — for their unanimous approval of over $87 million dollars funding for the County’s Flash Bus Rapid Transit network as well as pedestrian improvement projects,” Montgomery County Executive Elrich in his remarks at the BPW meeting.

The funds will allow Montgomery County to invest in infrastructure that will be more equitable, efficient and reliable, Elrich said.

“Building out the Flash Bus Rapid Transit Network will help alleviate congestion while helping us achieve our Climate Action Plan goals of reducing 100 percent greenhouse gas emissions by 2035,” he said. “Flash is also important to our economic development and job growth efforts. If we want to see the kind of economic growth that Northern Virginia has experienced over the last decade, then improving our infrastructure is the key.”

On Jan. 16, Elrich released his recommended FY25-30 Capital Improvements Program and FY25 Capital Budget. The capital budget contains $1.7 billion for transportation projects including the completion of the Flash BRT corridors along Route 355 and Veirs Mill Road.

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation has one Flash corridor operating, along US 29 Colesville Road connecting downtown Silver Spring to Burtonsville. The US 29 Flash is one of the County’s most popular bus routes, typically ranking among the top three for ridership.

The completed Flash network will include nine routes, including a US 29 extension to Howard County, with more than 100 stops. Flash fare is $1 per ride. Seniors 65-and-over, persons with disabilities and youth 18-and-under ride County buses free using specialized SmarTrip cards.