Committee backs removing northern M‑83 from county highways plan, adds study on Clarksburg–Germantown corridor

The Montgomery County Council Transportation and Environment Committee on July 21 recommended that the full Council concur with the Planning Board’s technical update to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways, including removing the northern section of the long‑planned Mid County Highway Extended (M83) and adopting a package of technical updates reflecting the county’s Complete Streets policies.

The committee’s action endorses the Planning Board recommendation to remove the northern M83 alignment — a planned, unbuilt roadway that would have extended roughly 5.7 miles from Montgomery Village Avenue through Great Seneca Park and the North Germantown Greenway to Ridge Road (MD‑27) in Clarksburg — while retaining the southern portion of Mid County Highway that connects toward the Intercounty Connector (ICC). Committee members also approved an amendment, offered by Councilmember Balcom, to require a comprehensive study of travel needs for the Clarksburg–Germantown corridor that includes the feasibility and timeline for implementing planned and existing master‑plan transportation improvements; the amendment removed a specific fiscal‑year reference after committee discussion about budgeting logistics.

Why it matters: M83 has been on county master plans for decades and was the subject of multiple corridor studies dating back to the 1960s and facility planning begun in 2004. The corridor has drawn sustained public testimony for and against the roadway because of projected environmental impacts, right‑of‑way concerns and traffic‑capacity arguments. Planning staff told the committee the technical update is intended to bring the master plan into alignment with the county’s Complete Streets design approach, recently codified in county bills and guidance adopted over the last several years.

Planning staff described the background and findings for the recommendation. David Anspacher, chief of the transportation planning division, said the Planning Board and planning staff held extra outreach after public testimony concentrated on M83. "We had extensive…