The Montgomery County Council wants bus rapid transit (BRT) between the Rockville and Wheaton metro stations, and passed a resolution enabling it to move forward. The plan would provide a east-west dedicated bus lane along Viers Mill Road.

County residents have named the project “Flash,” according to coverage by WTOP. From that article:

Under the plan for the “Flash” bus service, improvements would be made to segments of the 6.7 mile route so that riders could board at one of 12 stations without delays to traffic. The project is expected to cost $79 million dollars according to Glenn Orlin, deputy council administrator.

According to county studies of the bus route, time savings for transit users could vary from seven to 13 minutes on the eastbound route, and six to seven minutes on the westbound route. Eleven bus routes currently run on the east-west road, which experiences considerable congestion during rush hours. According to the county’s analysis, the roadway carries between 24,000 to 47,000 vehicles a day.