Proposed Bus Route Would Link Columbia To Bethesda Metro

Maryland transportation officials are asking for the public’s input on whether to add a bus route that would take Columbia residents via the new Intercounty Connector to the metro station in Bethesda.

The estimated $2.56 billion Intercounty Connector, or ICC, is a high-tech roadway designed to reduce commuting times for suburban Baltimore and Washington, D.C., dwellers.

The proposal is among several possible bus routes that would use the ICC beginning Jan. 3 2012.

The Columbia route would take commuters to the Medical Center Metro in Bethesda.

The other proposed bus routes using the ICC are:

-       Monocacy MARC Station to the College Park Metro/MARC Station

-       College Park to the Germantown Transit Center.

Maryland Transit Administration officials said the bus routes could make it easier for travelers from eastern Montgomery County, Frederick County, Howard County, Prince George’s County and Anne Arundel County make it to the I-270 Technology Corridor and the Maryland Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) facilities at Fort Meade and Bethesda.

There will be several public hearings for community members to weigh in on the proposed routes.

In Columbia, a public hearing will be held Wednesday Oct. 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Owen Brown Interfaith Center, 7246 Cradlerock Way.

You can email your comments to: mtahearingrecord@mta.maryland.gov