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MCDOT outlines Bicycle & Pedestrian Priority Areas plan, corrects online map to show 1,042 completed improvements
Summary
Montgomery County DOT said its Purple Line BIPA program has completed 1,042 of 3,806 recommended improvements (about 27%), corrected an online GIS map error, and outlined funded and planned bikeway/sidewalk projects including a $7 million Flower Avenue separated bike lane project.
Joe Mogas, chief of the Division of Transportation Engineering at the Montgomery County Department of Transportation, presented the Purple Line Bicycle and Pedestrian Priority Areas (BIPA) program and said the 2021 BIPA study identified 3,806 deficiencies to be addressed around stations. He told the committee the online GIS map had an error that undercounted completed projects and that the correct completed total is "actually 1,042," with 524 curb ramps and 498 sidewalk upgrades, placing BIPA about 27% complete.
Mogas explained the BIPA implementation framework: short-term improvements (1'2 years) that require minimal design and permitting, mid-term projects (2'5 years) that involve further design and coordination, and long-term items (more than five years) requiring significant project development. He outlined a sequence of public workshops planned by station area: Long Branch and Manchester Place (FY26), Dale Drive/Silver Spring areas (FY27), and 16th Street/Lyttonsville (FY28).
The presentation highlighted three major subprojects: the Flower Avenue separated bike lane (estimated budget $7,000,000 at 70% design), Carroll Avenue separated bike lane (estimated $1,300,000, not yet fully funded) and Piney Branch bike facility (estimated $3,000,000; design to be completed by FY27). The Flower Avenue project would add separated bike lanes on both sides, roadway widening with parking lanes, new pedestrian signals, and a reconstructed Maryland 320/Piney Branch Road protected intersection; MCDOT noted the project impacts include six properties, utility relocations and stormwater redesign.
Mogas described public engagement plans (in-person workshops with plan displays and comment methods, mailed notices and online tools) and apologized for the GIS lapse, saying staff would post an updated packet with the complete lists later in the day. Committee members asked whether lighting was within the BIPA scope; MCDOT said lighting was not cited in the BIPA report but that DOT would accept requests and direct them to the appropriate program (division of traffic engineering) for evaluation.
The briefing emphasized that while many improvements are complete, the scale of work remains large and will continue across multiple fiscal years with phased public outreach and design steps. MCDOT will host additional station-area workshops over the coming years and continue to post updates and project lists for public review.
The committee thanked staff and adjourned after agreeing to follow up on outstanding district-level questions and requests for specific project lists.
