Montgomery Council Approves Master Plan of Highways & Transitways

The Montgomery County Council voted unanimously voted to approve the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways (MPOHT). The plan updates county road classifications and transit-related facilities for the first time in more than 60 years to prepare for future infrastructure investments.

According to a press release:

The plan updates the county’s road and transitway network with recommendations that range from road classification changes to Urban Road Code boundary changes to bring the MPOHT into conformance with the Montgomery County Code. It is the first major revision to the MPOHT since 1955 and pro­vides a comprehensive summary of all significant existing and proposed highway and transitway facilities within the county.

About the Technical Update to the Master Plan of Highways and Transitways

Over time, incremental changes have been made to roadway classifications through master and sector plans, and changes have also been made to the road code. The update collects and records these changes in one document to bring consistency and usability to the transportation network.

As part of this update, staff proposed a regular schedule of annual or biennial revisions to the MPOHT so future changes are recorded and the plan is kept current.

The Master Plan of Highways and Transitways Technical Update includes the following improvements:

  • The updated plan aligns with the current County Road Code, which was amended in 2008 and 2014, to make our roads more pedestrian-friendly and context-sensitive, and reflect a complete streets approach to road design.
  • Modifies road classifications to conform to full range of 2008 County Road Code road types.
  • Corrects inconsistencies in roads affecting multiple master plan areas.
  • Creates a user-friendly web interface to allow the public to examine and search for existing and planned elements of the master-planned transportation system.

View the current Master Plan of Highways and Transitways web page for more information.