I-270, Eisenhower Highway, and US 15, Frederick Freeway
Location of Project:
SHADY GROVE ROAD (MO CO) TO NORTH OF BIGGS FORD ROAD (FR CO)
Description:
Multi-modal corridor study to consider highway and transit improvements in the I-270/US 15 corridor in Montgomery and Frederick counties from Shady Grove Metro Station to north of Biggs Ford Road (27.90 miles).
Scope:
The I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study is a project
jointly sponsored by the State Highway Administration (SHA)
and the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA).
In response to existing and projected growth within the
Corridor, the purpose of this project is to investigate
options that address congestion, increase mobility, and
improve safety conditions along the Corridor.
If nothing is done transportation congestion, traffic
operations, and safety conditions will worsen, with many
roadways and intersections being forced to handle more
volume that the current capacity allows, thus substantially
increasing travel times.
The project extends from the Shady Grove Metro Station in
Montgomery County north to the US 15/Biggs Ford Road
intersection area in Frederick County (approximately 30
miles). The transit component, known as the Corridor
Cities Transitway (CCT), extends 14 miles from the
Shady Grove Metro Station in Rockville through
Gaithersburg and Germantown where it terminates
at the COMSAT facility just south of Clarksburg.
Additional information is also available at the project website: www.i270multimodalstudy.com.
What is under study:
Alternatives Under Consideration:
Several alternatives were presented in the Draft EIS and during the June 2002 Public Hearing. In brief format, these alternatives included:
Alt. 1 No-Build
Alt. 2 Transportation Systems Management (TSM)/Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
Alt. 3A/3B Master Plan HOV/LRT or BRT
Alt. 4A/4B Master Plan General Purpose/LRT or BRT
Alt. 5A/B/C Enhanced Master Plan HOV/General Purpose/LRT, BRT or Premium Bus
Note: A=Light Rail Transit along the CCT; B=Bus Rapid Transit along the CCT; C=Premium (or Express) Bus along I-270
Additional Alternatives were developed and presented in the 2004 Express Toll Lane (ETL) Open House, which included ETL lanes in lieu of HOV lanes while maintaining the transit components mentioned in the DEIS.
Existing interchanges would be upgraded or reconstructed
and four new interchanges would be installed along I-270 and US 15. If HOV lanes or ETL lanes are chosen as the preferred alternative, direct access ramps
would be implemented at up to five interchanges between I-370 and MD 121. Direct access ramps would also be considered for areas better served by transit pending the alternative selected and the transit mode choice.
The ETL alternatives will be presented in an Environmental Assessment (EA) document, which is currently being prepared. It is anticipated that the EA will be complete in Spring 2009.
The impacts for these new alternatives will be
documented in the EA and will ultimately be incorporated into the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).
Alt. 6 � 2 ETL lanes in Montgomery County and 1 ETL lane in Frederick County (2+1)
Alt. 7 - 2 ETL lanes in Montgomery County and 2 ETL lanes in Frederick County (2+2)
In most areas, the transitway is fully separated from
vehicular traffic, either in the median, along one side
of an existing roadway, or along new alignment.
At-grade or overpass/underpass options exist for
major roadway crossings. As proposed, the CCT
includes 18 stations and provides direct transfers
to the MARC Brunswick line at Metropolitan Grove and
the Metrorail Red Line at Shady Grove.
