Countywide rapid bus system proposed

Officials in Montgomery County are proposing a new rapid transit system that some say will be comparable to D.C.’s Metrorail or the county’s plannedPurple Line.

The system will be based on buses running in dedicated lanes on major roads throughout the county. It would cost an estimated $2.3 billion to $2.5 billion and have at least 16 routes down major corridors such as Route 355, New Hampshire Avenue and Shady Grove Road, according to a report by consulting firm Parsons Brinckerhoff.