The MD 355 BRT Study, part of Montgomery County, Maryland’s 11-corridor BRT program, was a planning and conceptual engineering study for a 22-mile corridor in suburban Washington, DC. The corridor runs through the heart of the county’s urban centers, and the project strives to transform an auto-oriented arterial into a true multi-modal corridor, presenting both technical and political challenges in this suburban locale.
Foursquare ITP developed the BRT and local feeder bus service plans and cost estimates for three build alternatives, led public and stakeholder engagement, and played an integral role in the strategic evaluation framework and analysis of the impacts of alternatives. Foursquare ITP’s detailed planning work set the stage for accurate ridership modeling, determination of physical improvements to accommodate the BRT service, and impacts analysis of the alternatives.
Through a transparent public process, our work defined the most effective use of transit resources for serving the community and identified the operations needs of transit to be addressed by the physical infrastructure. The transit service plans and infrastructure improvements would result in improved accessibility by transit for households and to jobs and increase the number of people—including low-income and minority communities—served by high-quality transit service.
Solutions and Outcomes
- Developed BRT service plan with overlapping routes to tailor headways along the long corridor.
- Maximized resources through feeder service to the BRT.
- Identified operational needs to guide design in follow-on phases.
- Presented information to an informed and supportive public.