North Four Corners News ♦ June 2026

County Council Approves Continuing Design of Median Lane BRT on U.S. Route 29

By Sharon Canavan

On 21 May 2026, the Montgomery County Council adopted the county’s Capital Improvements Program (CIP).  Although there is no appropriation for FY 27, the CIP will project $115 million in spending for the county transportation department to continue designing the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Flash 2.0 route (BRT 2.0) on US 29/Colesville Road.

In 2022, the previous Council approved funding for design of a Dedicated Median Lane instead of choosing the Managed Lane or No-Build options.  The present 35% design for BRT 2.0 calls for a single, curbed bus lane for Flash buses only from Stewart Lane to Timberwood Avenue.  At that point, the median lane will expand to two vehicle lanes to accommodate moving the present curb-side Flash stations to the middle of the Four Corners intersection for two Flash stations (north- and south-bound).  After those stations, the bus will return to a single curbed lane until Franklin Avenue and then operate in mixed traffic to the Silver Spring Metro station.  (For a more in-depth description of the BRT 2.0 design and prior committee action, see story at link below.)  SEE PRIOR STORY

At a 2 March 2026 meeting of the Transportation and Environment (T&E) Committee, Councilmember Mink raised concerns about the impact that a curbed one-to-two lane busway would have on traffic from Burnt Mills to the Four Corners area.  T&E Committee Chairman Glass and staff then added language to the Project Description Form (PDF) directing the Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) to add its evaluation of less impactful alternatives.  The 27 April 2026 T&E Committee staff report added the italicized language below to the PDF:

This project will design and implement a dedicated lane for Bus Rapid Transit in the median of U.S. 29 between Tech Road and Sligo Creek Parkway to improve travel time and service reliability.  Alongside final design for a two-way busway, alternative technical concepts for one or zero dedicated transit lanes through Four Corners will be evaluated for construction-related impacts, transit performance, and cost.  Adjacent neighborhood traffic impacts and potential mitigation will also be evaluated as part of final design. MCDOT will brief the T&E Committee after the analysis is completed and before proceeding to construction.  The project will also assess the feasibility of master planned bicycle facilities along U.S. 29 within the project study limits.

Mink sought to further amend the PDF to direct MCDOT to evaluate a Managed Lane (i.e., Flash bus operating along with other buses in a bus-only curb lane) so the Council could evaluate a side-by-side comparison of all options.  Mink stressed her “concerns are about the impact that the current design is going to have on the area there, the small businesses, the traffic and mobility in Burnt Mills and Four Corners.”  T&E Committee members voted down the Mink amendment.

On 6 May 2026, the full County Council met to conclude its discussion of CIP Mass Transportation funding.  Councilmember Mink again offered her amendment to add “as well as the previously considered Managed Lane option” to the PDF.

Councilmember Glass opposed the Mink amendment, stressing that BRT 2.0 is a priority to serve transportation users in Burtonsville, further noting the Council had just adopted $243,775 in funding to expand from rush-hour only to all-day service for the Blue Flash route that runs from Burtonsville to Silver Spring.  Glass emphasized that Councilmembers had heard residents’ concerns and that Mink’s advocacy had already secured language in the PDF to evaluate alternatives for the BRT 2.0 through Four Corners as MCDOT proceeds with completing the BRT 2.0 design.

MCDOT Director Chris Conklin conceded that a Managed Lane would result in less delay on the corridor for all other types of buses and vehicles, but defended the current design for a BRT 2.0 Dedicated Median Lane busway as the best option to maximize operational efficiency and travel time on U.S. 29 for Flash buses.  He added Metrobus service on the U.S. 29 corridor has been reduced, so a more effective BRT route is necessary to attract additional riders in this transit-dependent part of the county.

After Council staff explained that the design for a Managed Lane would have to run the full length of the Flash route, Conklin argued that developing the Managed Lane technical concept would significantly delay the project.  He added that the “zero” bus lane option, which MCDOT has been directed to evaluate, would be essentially equivalent to a managed lane, so he argued that Mink’s amendment language was unnecessary.

Councilmember Jawando pressed the point, questioning why studying a Managed Lane is problematic.  Conklin responded that a significant amount of engineering work, comparable to that required for the current 35% BRT 2.0 design, would delay the project.  He also questioned the effectiveness of a Managed Lane, since scofflaws could move into that lane and preventing this would require police enforcement.

Councilmember Glass commented the BRT 2.0 design will still be open to change, if the Council sees fit, once MCDOT provides information on the alternative concepts and neighborhood impacts as directed by the language added to the PDF.

Councilmembers Mink and Jawando voted for the amendment to add Managed Lane language, but the other 9 Councilmembers voted no.

In closing, Councilmember Glass noted Councilmembers had heard about potential traffic impact from many residents.  He acknowledged the Four Corners intersection is complex, but added that maximizing the efficiency of the Flash BRT route on U.S. 29 is important and further delay would harm Burtonsville residents.  Even pressing ahead with the proposed BRT 2.0 design, this project will be a long time coming to fruition.  Final design is set to begin in FY28 and construction is projected for FY31 to FY33 with operations beginning in FY34.   ■