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Division of Transportation Engineering http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/midcountycorridorstudy Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) Alternatives Retained for Detailed Study June 2010 DRAFT Department of Transportation Division of Transportation Engineering 100 Edison Park Drive, 4th Floor Gaithersburg, MD 20878 PHONE: 240-777-7220 FAX: 240-777-7277 http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/midcountycorridorstudy MIDCOUNTY CORRIDOR STUDY ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY / June 2010 DRAFT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LEAD AGENCY Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) CONCURRING AGENCIES US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Lead US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Maryland Department of Environment (MDE) REVIEWING AGENCIES US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR) Maryland Historic Trust (MHT) Maryland State Highway Administration (MSHA) Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC) City of Gaithersburg CONSULTANTS Rummel, Klepper & Kahl, LLP (RK&K) A. Morton Thomas, Inc. Charles A. Davis Elizabeth Anderson Comer/Archaeology (EAC/A) Paula S. Reed Associates, Inc. MIDCOUNTY CORRIDOR STUDY ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY / June 2010 DRAFT SUMMARY A. PURPOSE OF SUBMITTAL The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) is hereby presenting this package to request concurrence on the Alternatives Retained for Detailed Study (ARDS) for the Midcounty Corridor Study (MCS). B. PROJECT PURPOSE MCDOT is performing the Midcounty Corridor Study to relieve projected congestion on the roadways between Gaithersburg and Clarksburg; improve mobility east of I-270; improve traffic safety and efficiency; improve vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle access to destinations within the study area; and to develop these improvements in an environmental sensitive manner. C. ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY The Alternatives Retained for Detailed Study, commonly referred to as ARDS, is a document to summarize and compare the initial alternatives and recommends those to be carried forward for detailed study. For the Midcounty Corridor Study (MCS), eleven (11) alternatives were evaluated that consisted of proposed improvements to existing roadways as well as new roadway alignment (with 3 different northern terminus options) as recommended in area master plans. Of the eleven (11) alternatives, the following six (6) alternatives and two (2) Master Plan Alignment Northern Terminus options are recommended for detailed study: • Alternative 1, No Build; • Alternative 2, Transportation Systems Management/Transportation Demand Management; • Alternative 4, Goshen-Wightman-Brink; • Alternative 5, MD 355; • Alternative 8, Master Plan Alignment from Watkins Mill Road; • Alternative 9, Master Plan Alignment; and • Master Plan Alignment Northern Terminus: Options A and C D. ALTERNATIVES NOT RECOMMENDED FOR DETAILED STUDY Of the eleven (11) alternatives, the following five (5) alternatives and one (1) northern terminus option are not recommended: • Alternative 3, Montgomery Village-Wightman-Brink; • Alternative 6, MD 355-Lower & Upper Watkins Mill-Master Plan Alignment; • Alternative 7, MD 355-Middlebrook-Master Plan Alignment; • Alternative 10, Muncaster Mill-Snouffer School-Wightman-Brink (both Options A and B); • Alternative 11, Montgomery Village-Stedwick-Upper Watkins Mill-Master Plan Alignment; and • Northern Terminus of Master Plan Alignment: Option B. These recommendations were based on a comparison of each alternative’s transportation benefits; impacts to the natural, built, and social environment; and public and agency input. MIDCOUNTY CORRIDOR STUDY ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY / June 2010 DRAFT MIDCOUNTY CORRIDOR STUDY ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY / June 2010 DRAFT TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................1 A. PROJECT HISTORY ..........................................................................................................1 B. MASTER PLANS ................................................................................................................2 C. STUDY AREA ....................................................................................................................2 II. PURPOSE AND NEED ..............................................................................................................5 A. PURPOSE ............................................................................................................................5 B. NEED ...................................................................................................................................5 III. EXISTING AND FUTURE CONDITIONS EVALUATED DURING PRELIMINARY SCREENING.................................................................................................7 A. ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND COMMUNITY RESOURCES .......................7 1. Natural Resources ..........................................................................................................7 a. Wetlands ..................................................................................................................7 b. Wetlands of Special State Concern ..........................................................................7 c. Streams .....................................................................................................................7 d. Colonial Nesting Bird Habitat .................................................................................7 e. Federal and State Rare, Threatened and Endangered Species (RTE) ......................7 f. Biodiversity Areas ...................................................................................................8 g. Special Protection Areas (SPAs) .............................................................................8 h. Best Natural Areas ...................................................................................................9 i. Greenways................................................................................................................9 j. Habitat for Forest Interior Dwelling Species (FIDS) ...............................................9 k. Floodplains ...............................................................................................................9 l. Forest (upland) .........................................................................................................9 m. Farmland ..................................................................................................................9 2. Cultural Resources .......................................................................................................10 a. Historic Architecture ..............................................................................................10 b. Archeological Sites ................................................................................................10 3. Community Resources .................................................................................................11 a. Parks & Recreational Facilities ..............................................................................11 b. Schools ...................................................................................................................11 c. Places of Worship ..................................................................................................11 4. Hazardous Material Sites .............................................................................................11 5. Property ........................................................................................................................12 B. TRANSPORTATION ........................................................................................................13 1. Relieve Projected Roadway Congestion in Year 2030 ................................................13 2. Improve Safety and Efficiency. ...................................................................................14 3. Improve Bicycle and Pedestrian Access ......................................................................14 i MIDCOUNTY CORRIDOR STUDY ALTERNATIVES RETAINED FOR DETAILED STUDY / June 2010 DRAFT IV. DEVELOPMENT AND DESCRIPTION OF PRELIMINARY ALTERNATIVES..........15 A. STUDY CORRIDORS ......................................................................................................15 B. ALTERNATIVES..............................................................................................................17 1. Alternative 1, No Build ................................................................................................17 The No-Build Alternative’s improvements are also the base for all other alternatives.2. Alterna tive 2, Transportation System Management/Travel Demand Management ................18 2. Alternative 2, Transportation System Management/Travel Demand Management .................................................................................................................19 3. Alternatives 3 through 11.............................................................................................21 a. Alternative 3, Montgomery Village – Wightman – Brink .....................................22 b. Alternative 4, Goshen – Wightman – Brink ..........................................................24 c. Alternative 5, MD 355 ...........................................................................................26