MCDOT Publishes Final Pedestrian Master Plan

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) posted the final version of the county's long-awaited Pedestrian Master Plan on its website today. The County Council approved the plan last October with substantial revisions and a resolution for MCDOT to reconcile and publish the final version.

"The publication of the final, approved Pedestrian Master Plan after four decades of discussion and debate benefits every county resident," county executive Marc Elrich said at a press briefing. "I want to thank our newly appointed MCDOT Director, Leonard Waukenmann, who helped us complete this biblical 40-year journey with consistency and experience no one but he could add to the final version," Elrich added.

Waukenmann took over the top spot at MCDOT late last year, bringing more than 35 years of county roadway experience to the department. "No one knows Montgomery County roads like Leonard Waukenmann," Council President Andrew Friedson said at the time.

The final Pedestrian Master Plan calls for sidewalks on all 5,462 lane miles of roads within the county by 2030. Less than 30 percent of county roads currently have pedestrian sidewalks. The 30-billion-dollar project also calls for widening and repaving sidewalks county-wide. "Montgomery County will be the most walkable place in America," Elrich said.

Waukenmann, who will oversee plan implementation, said pedestrian access construction is set to begin in October, starting in the Aspen Hill area. Work is expected to move north through Norbeck and Olney next. After that, he said the path may move toward Silver Spring, Burtonsville, Rock Creek or Bethesda, depending on several variables including the weather. "It's hard to know where it'll be on any particular day," Waukenmann told reporters.

Funding for the 30-billion-dollar Pedestrian Master Plan comes from a 0.08 percent increase in the county's recreational cannabis tax. "At current consumption rates, county budgeters say no other tax payer dollars are needed," Elrich said.

Also at today's press briefing, MCDOT unveiled the latest line of county construction crew safety gear. "The orange safety shorts attract drivers' attention to our crews and prevent accidents," said Waukenmann, who also noted people sometimes honk.