Washington D.C. (including Baltimore) - New Transit Option from BWI

With the opening of the Intercounty Connector on March 1st, there is going to be a new metrobus from BWI to the Shady Grove Metro Station. Route is numbered 201. It will be free for the first 2 weeks and $5 after that.

Given that it is a longer trip than to Greenbelt, this is probably only of use to people going to Rockville or Bethesda, but it might also help to Woodley Park or Dupont Circle, which are frequent tourist and convention destinations. And it is always good to have more options.

More options are a good thing. That's going to be a long ride at first, they're only opening a portion of the ICC on March 1st, 7+ miles out of total of 18.

So not sure what the route will be but it's not going to be a quick trip. Probably quicker than going all the way into town from Greenbelt and back out again though, I guess.

That's not a Metrobus route number. . .

Ah. An MTA bus (http://www.mtaiccbus.com/route201.html).

The timetables are interesting. It's conceived as a commuter bus, so I'd expect it to run a little more frequently at rush hour and a little less frequently otherwise, but apparently not. And the way it's staggered--five hours in the morning where there's buses to BWI but not from, and four hours in the evening vice versa--makes me wonder where in their fleet they're pulling the buses from. They can't be planning to just run them empty one way.

so this won't help me (i have never been to wash dc before and am planning to leave via BWI)...Don't flame me, please...I just saw the thread title and my research has only just begun on how to get there from downtown DC

Try here. (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/washington-d-c-including-baltimore/573731-basic-guide-its-airports.html)

I remember when I lived in MD in the 90s of talk of an intercounty connector but it will be done on March 1? Anyone have a map of it?

So it will be a $5 toll road....will it take EZ Pass? Will the whole thing be done?

I remember when I lived in MD in the 90s of talk of an intercounty connector but it will be done on March 1? Anyone have a map of it?

So it will be a $5 toll road....will it take EZ Pass? Will the whole thing be done?

From what I have read, it will only take EZ Pass.

I'm still trying to find a map of it online. Is it really going to open up next week to connect 270 with 95 (above the beltway I assume)?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=intercounty+connector+map

http://www.iccproject.com/project-area.php

Did you actually try these links, choster? :p The first one just shows a google result page with links but where is there a simple map that you can see the actual highway? If it were that easy, I wouldn't have asked. ;)

Hey there was one with bubble colored pop ups that blocked what looks like an attempt at a map. :D

This map might be a bit better---and does show the one portion that is already open.
http://www.iccproject.com/PDFs/jan-11-rainbow-map.pdf

Thanks. Which part is open now that it's past March 1? Does it intersect with the BW Parkway?

I thought the ICC would be further north than PG County; that's where the Capital Beltway is. I thought the part that connected with 95 would be midpoint b/w Baltimore and DC like in Howard County. Wasn't that the point? Or was it just a connector close to the beltway to relieve the 495 traffic...maybe that was the point.

I thought the part that connected with 95 would be midpoint b/w Baltimore and DC like in Howard County. Wasn't that the point? Or was it just a connector close to the beltway to relieve the 495 traffic...maybe that was the point.

What's open now is just from Shady Grove to Georgia Avenue (labeled as Route 97 and the signage has apparently already confused at least one transit reporter).

And, yes, the real intent was to alleviate traffic on the Beltway.

By the way, not only does it take EZ Pass, that's the preferred way to pay for it. The only other option is to have them photograph your license plate and send you a bill - which carries a $3 surcharge.

What's open now is just from Shady Grove to Georgia Avenue (labeled as Route 97 and the signage has apparently already confused at least one transit reporter).Rt 97? Isn't there already a Rt 97 connecting Glen Burnie with Rt 50 outside of Annapolis?

And, yes, the real intent was to alleviate traffic on the Beltway.

By the way, not only does it take EZ Pass, that's the preferred way to pay for it. The only other option is to have them photograph your license plate and send you a bill - which carries a $3 surcharge.I would think that most people already have EZ Pass. What is the cost of the ICC now? What will the final cost be when it opens completely? I assume EZ Pass users will pay a discount compared with those who pay with cash?

Thanks for the info.

I would think that most people already have EZ Pass. What is the cost of the ICC now? What will the final cost be when it opens completely? I assume EZ Pass users will pay a discount compared with those who pay with cash?



I think it's $1.45 now for the little bit that's open.

There is no way to pay with cash. Your only options are EZ Pass or having them photograph your license plate, mail you a bill, and hit you with a surcharge for the privilege.

And I don't know if most people have EZ Pass. Given that this is the first toll road in that area and Maryland's insistence on charging a few bucks a month for the convenience (though you can, of course, get an EZ Pass from other states), I think the only people who it ever made sense for are those who would drive north of Baltimore regularly.

Personally, I find it hard to imagine when I would ever use the ICC, but I live in Virginia.

I live near the western end of it. I have seen three prices on the electronic signs.

Peak - $1.45
Of-peak - $1.15
Late night - $0.60

I have used it three times before the tolls started being collected. It's a very nice road. Still, few people seem willing to pay the toll. The road is practically empty. The eastern part opens next year with higher tolls. That's when we'll see if people will use it. I will only use it if forced to.

The new bus route is nice though. I'm going to have to try it.

Good luck trying to take the Route 201 from Shady Grove to BWI! There are no markings in the Shady Grove Metro station directing you to the proper side of the station to catch the 201 (Tip: head right as you exit to the East bus loop). And once you arrive at the bus loop, there are no markings on the bus bays to identify the right one for the 201 (Tip: head all the way down the row to the very last bay).

And don't be surprised if the driver blitzes through the bus loop without stopping. Although the bus is scheduled to depart/arrive Shady Grove at eight minutes past the hour, in the two weeks since the service began, I've witnessed the bus arriving at five past the hour three times and pulling through without stopping. Would it kill the driver's schedule to wait until the published departure time, or to look for passengers with suitcases who might be waiting at the wrong bus shelter because the shelters are not yet marked?

The Route 201 uses the ICC until it terminates at Georgia Avenue (Route 97). Then the bus switches to Norbeck Road and then Burtonsville Road (Rtes 28 and 198, respectively), before heading north on Columbia Pike (Rte 29) and then west on Route 32 to I-95, arriving at BWI's Southwest Terminal one hour after leaving Shady Grove Station. Bring $5 cash, as the buses are not MTA-owned (they're operated under contract by Atlantic Coast Charters) so they're not equipped to take Metro's SmartTrip cards. And print off the 201's schedules before you leave home because you won't find any at the Shady Grove station.

If you don't mind those frustrations, it's cheaper than driving and parking!