Metro, in partnership with Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration (MDOT SHA) and Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT), is working to launch tactical bus lanes on Georgia Avenue (MD 97), between 16th St and Wayne Ave. Tactical bus lanes will allow buses to travel in dedicated lanes and bypass traffic congestion. This gives Metrobus customers a better bus experience by increasing safety and reliability. Increased reliability will also improve important connections to the Metrorail’s Red Line, MARC’s Brunswick Line, as well as Ride On, Flash BRT, Metrobus, and intercity bus services at the Silver Spring Transit Center.

The Georgia Avenue Corridor was selected based on bus service data such as number of routes, how frequently buses arrive, at their designated locations, transit ridership, and bus speed along the corridor. The Georgia Avenue bus lanes will primarily serve customers on Metrobus Q2, Q4, Y2, Y7 and Y8.

In addition to the bus lanes, queue jump signals  for buses will be installed at selected intersections will allow buses to “jump” ahead of traffic safely and reduce bus delays caused by traffic congestion.

Design

Metro began the design phase for tactical bus lanes in summer 2022 and is expected to complete it in December 2023. The design dedicates the far right lane along Georgia Avenue for buses during peak hours on weekdays and will be marked with red paint. Once designed, construction will involve roadway resurfacing, painting, striping, installing a bus signal, and updating signage.

Construction

After construction funding is secured, MDOT SHA will be responsible for managing the implementation of the project, overseeing construction and maintenance activities, in coordination with WMATA and DPW&T. Once construction is complete, an assessment of transit and traffic performance metrics will be taken to evaluate the bus lanes’ effectiveness.