Montgomery County bus rapid transit scaled down, less expensive

The controversial Montgomery County bus rapid transit system will be scaled back, after county planners and an outside firm found the original design unnecessary and too expensive.

Larry Cole, a county transportation planner, detailed a more modest system than the original 160-mile design. He said county staff re-examined the BRT routes and found while a larger system would draw riders from throughout the county and reduce driving, economic constraints mean a smaller system is more feasible to construct.