Childcare, Travel Support Offered to Essential Workers During COVID-19 Emergency

| at 2:06 pm | Categories Montgomery County

Two area organizations are offering childcare and travel support for essential workers at no cost during the COVID-19 emergency. The YMCA of Metropolitan Washington has opened several of its branches and program centers to provide emergency childcare for workers, including at the Silver Spring branch. At the same time, the county’s Department of Transportation announced temporary programs from Capital Bikeshare and Lyft scooters to provide free rides to essential employees.

Colesville Road to be Repaved with Improvements Added

| at 10:05 am | Categories Silver Spring

Colesville Road (U.S. Route 29) will be resurfaced and have additional improvements installed from St. Andrews Way/Sligo Creek Parkway to just past Stewart Lane, according to an announcement from the State Highway Administration. The work, which is scheduled to begin this spring, will repair a surface marred by a WSSC water main project between St. Andrews and the Beltway. The project will continue north past the Shoppes of Burnt Mills, a total of about 3.6 miles.

E-Scooter Users Could Face New Restrictions Under Bill

| at 10:03 am | Categories Montgomery County

Fans of electric scooters would face new restrictions on their use under the terms of a bill introduced this week by Council President Sidney Katz (D-District 3). Bill 8-20, Bicycles and E-Scooters—Operating Requirements and Registration, would create operating requirements for the use of low-speed electric scooters and is intended to reduce injuries, among other purposes.

Proposed Montgomery County Metrobus Cuts Draw Major Pushback

| at 6:55 pm | Categories Montgomery County
WMATA government relations officer Charlie Scott, left, presents WMATA's proposed 2021 budget at a town hall in Silver Spring, Maryland, Monday, March 2, 2020, as Montgomery County Council members Evan Glass and Tom Hucker, right, look on. (Photo by Sean McGoey)

A crowd of Montgomery County residents voiced their opposition to proposed Metrobus route cuts Monday night, as the County Council’s Transportation Committee hosted a town hall in downtown Silver Spring to hear public comments on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s planned operating budget for fiscal 2021.

Crowds Gather to Watch Purple Line Work

| at 9:25 am | Categories Silver Spring

Small crowds gathered periodically Sunday to watch the work underway to raise massive girders over Colesville Road for the Purple Line. Colesville will remain closed between Wayne Ave and East-West Highway until Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 6 a.m.

County Releases Schedules for Presidents Day Holiday

| at 1:38 pm | Categories Montgomery County

The county has released the schedule of closings for the Presidents Day holiday on Monday, Feb. 17. All county and state offices, as well as county libraries, will be closed. Recreation centers, senior centers and the Recreation Department’s administrative offices will be closed, while aquatics facilities and programs will be open.

Ride On Bus Routes, Stops Affected by Purple Line Work

| at 9:42 am | Categories Montgomery County

A number of Ride On bus routes and stops have been altered as of yesterday due to Purple Line construction. For example, several Ride On bus stops will be temporarily relocated along northbound Colesville Road (between Wayne Avenue and Georgia Avenue—look for the purple temporary shelters), on the second floor of the transit center, and on East-West Highway.