Maryland’s planned 15-mile Corridor Cities Transitway along Interstate 270 will operate using rapid buses, Gov. Martin O’Malley confirmed Friday.
The system will provide transportation north from the Shady Grove Metro Station to the Comsat facility near Clarksburg. With the govenor’s stamp of approval, the bus project can be submitted to the Federal Transit Administration for New Starts funding, entering the same process that the Purple Line light rail system has been undergoing.
Montgomery County lawmakers backed the system in January, reversing course on a previous vote for a light rail-based CCT. Although some lawmakers said they prefer light rail, all parties supported the shorter build-out time and lower construction costs of a bus-based system.
The system is expected to see 47,700 boardings a day by 2035, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.
“This north-south transitway line will reduce our dependence on cars as we continue our goal to double public transit use by 2020,” O’Malley said.
