Project: Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center
Description
The Paul S. Sarbanes Silver Spring Transit Center is a planned joint public/private development located on the site of the current bus bays at the Silver Spring Metrorail Station. Plans call for a three-level transit center, with the first two levels devoted to bus access and circulation and the third level devoted to kiss and ride, taxis, and access to a proposed new hotel. The proposed private project also consists of two residential towers. The ground floor of the project adjacent to Colesville Road and Wayne Avenue would feature retail activity. The project participants include the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), Montgomery County, and a private developer. The project is expected to significantly enhance access to existing Metrorail, Metrobus, Ride-On, MARC rail, intercity bus, taxi, and hiker/biker trails as well as the planned Purple Line.
Current activity (as of December 12, 2007)
WMATA held a public hearing on the project on April 24, 2006 at M-NCPPC. The packet distributed in advance of the public hearing can be found at . A number of individuals spoke in favor of the project. Some speakers expressed concern about hiker/biker trail connectivity and the relocation of the bus stops – a relocation that will be required during construction of the transit center.
Read the WMATA meeting packet (pdf, 13.98MB) and/or read the WMATA staff report (pdf, 14.32MB) on the public hearing.
On June 7, 2007, the Planning Board held a public hearing on the proposed transit center improvements as part of the mandatory referral process required by state law. Read the staff report (pdf, 11.28MB) related to that hearing.
The relocation of the bus stops is now scheduled to take place in late spring 2008. In advance of that relocation, construction crews have installed a median fence on Wayne Avenue, along with other modifications around Wayne Avenue, Bonifant Street, and Colesville Road.
Planning items
Major issues examined as part of the project planning include accommodating the various modes of travel and the high volume of pedestrians, the relocation of the urban park on the site, coordination with nearby on-going planned development, connection with the planned Purple Line, and the relocation of the bus bays during construction, among other items.
Upcoming schedule
Bus shelters and information signage for pedestrians will be installed in March 2008 – before the relocation of the bus stops. Once the bus stops are relocated, the actual construction of the Transit Center itself will begin. The current schedule calls for the new Transit Center to be operational sometime in the middle of 2010. There is no definitive schedule yet for construction related to the private development component of the transit center.
M-NCPPC staff contacts
Glenn
Kreger, Community Based Planning,
301-495-4653
Glenn.Kreger@mncppc-mc.org
Tom
Autrey, Transportation Planning
301-495-4533
Thomas.Autrey@mncppc-mc.org
Linda
Komes, Community Based Planning
301-650-2860
Linda.Komes@mncppc-mc.org
