Stuck at a Crossroads Is Par for the Course

There also will be deeper study of other possible changes. Improvements can include lane widenings, widening a median strip to accommodate pedestrians and -- this would certainly please Kogok -- such things as extending the right lane on Georgia Avenue after the Beltway exit. (Hawthorne said that the State Highway Administration is studying that interchange.)

Officials are moving forward on projects that they say will ease congestion in some problem areas.

Work is underway on Montrose Parkway West, a cornerstone of Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan's (D) campaign pledge to invest $1 billion in transportation projects. The plan calls for widening Montrose from four to six lanes between Interstate 270 and Tildenwood Drive, then creating a four-lane Montrose Parkway extending to Old Georgetown Road. Eventually, the parkway would stretch to Veirs Mill Road.

This week, the federal government gave final approval for construction of the long-debated intercounty connector, an 18-mile toll highway that will link I-270 in Montgomery County to I-95 in Prince George's County.

Both the Montrose Parkway and intercounty connector projects are touted as a salve for east-west traffic congestion.

The report also found that many heavily trafficked downtown areas, such as in Bethesda, Silver Spring, Rockville and Gaithersburg, often have smooth traffic flows, largely as a result of a grid street pattern.

The problems, Hawthorne said, are concentrated on connector roads between major activity centers.

"The Planning Board observed that in Silver Spring and Bethesda, the intersections are operating extremely well, and that the places that we have to be paying some attention to are the large stretches of major roads in between the downtowns," Hawthorne said.

Local officials will use the report in coming months as they develop transportation priorities, drawing on the expertise of planners, environmental specialists, engineers and others.

"We will talk about how long it would take and when it would get funded, if it's feasible, and if it is, how soon we can do something," Hawthorne said.

This year's ranking of Georgia Avenue and Forest Glen Road as the worst intersection reinforces the county's move to build a pedestrian walkway in that area, said David Weaver, a Duncan spokesman. The walkway, which is under construction, will allow people to cross over ramps and under the Beltway to get to the Forest Glen Metro station.

"There was a way to help alleviate that congestion without touching the roads," he said, "and it's called making the Metro more accessible."

Weaver and other officials said that the county and state must deal with transportation issues aggressively.

"We have to all commit . . . to a comprehensive plan to putting significant money into an array of projects," Weaver said.

State support, the intercounty connector and a long-term commitment to funding such projects are all needed, he said.