East West Highway–Old Georgetown Road Line
| Company type | Public transit authority |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Founded | 1967 |
| Headquarters | Washington, D.C. , United States |
Area served | Washington metropolitan area |
| Products | Bus service, Metro rail service |
| Website | wmata |
The East West Highway–Old Georgetown Road Line, known as Route M70, is a bus service running every day under the operation of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. It links Silver Spring station on the Red Line of the Washington Metro with the Westfield Montgomery Transit Center. This route took over from the previous Bethesda–Silver Spring Line, which was covered by routes J1 and J2. Route M70 primarily follows the old J2 trajectory, though westbound buses avoid the Medical Center Station bus loop, instead stopping directly across Rockville Pike.
Background
Route M70 provides transit between Silver Spring station and Montgomery Mall, serving commuters along the corridors of East-West Highway and Old Georgetown Road. The service operates throughout the week, with buses arriving every 10 minutes during weekday peak periods, every 12 minutes during off-peak hours and weekends, and every half hour during other times. The route is managed from the Montgomery division.
Stops
<section begin=M70-table/>
| Bus stop | Direction | Connections | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montgomery County, Maryland | ||||||||
| Silver Spring Bus Bay 102 |
Westbound stop, Eastbound terminal |
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: D40, D4X, P30, D60, D6X, M20, M52, M54 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1–22, 28, Flash BRT (Blue, Orange) Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 915, 929 Template:Bus icon Shuttle-UM: 111 Template:Bus icon Peter Pan Bus Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:Rint MARC: Brunswick Line Template:Rint MTA: Purple Line (Planned) | ||||||
| East-West Highway / East Falkland Lane | Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1, 2, 11, 28 | ||||||
| East-West Highway / Summit Hills Apartments | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1, 2, 11 | ||||||
| East-West Highway / Rosemary Hills Drive | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1, 2, 11 | ||||||
| East-West Highway / Grubb Road | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 1, 11 | ||||||
| East-West Highway / Maple Avenue | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M22 | ||||||
| Montgomery Avenue / East-West Highway | Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: M22 | ||||||
| Montgomery Lane / East Lane | Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: D96, M22 Template:Bus icon Fairfax Connector: 798 | ||||||
| Bethesda Bus Bay C |
Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: D96, M22 Template:Bus icon Ride On: 29, 30, 32, 34, 36, 47, 70 Template:Bus icon Bethesda Circulator Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:Rint MTA: Purple Line (Planned) | ||||||
| Wisconsin Avenue / Chelsea Lane | ||||||||
| Rockville Pike / South Drive Medical Center |
Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 30, 33, 34, 46, 70, 101 Template:Bus icon Fairfax Connector: 798 (Southbound only) Template:Bus icon NIH Bethesda and Navy Medical Center shuttles Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon | ||||||
| Rockville Pike / North Drive | Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 30, 34, 46, 70 | ||||||
| West Cedar Lane / Old Georgetown Road | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 70 | ||||||
| Old Georgetown Road / Beech Avenue | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 30 | ||||||
| Old Georgetown Road / Ryland Drive | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 30 | ||||||
| Old Georgetown Road / Cheshire Drive | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 6 | ||||||
| Democracy Boulevard / Old Georgetown Road | Westbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 6 | ||||||
| Fernwood Road / Rock Spring Drive | Westbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 6, 26, 47, 96 Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 505, 515 | ||||||
| Fernwood Road / Marriott Drive | Eastbound | Template:Bus icon Ride On: 6, 26, 47, 96 Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 505, 515 | ||||||
| Montgomery Mall Bus Bay F |
Eastbound stop, Westbound terminal |
Template:Bus icon Ride On: 6, 26, 42, 47, 96 | ||||||
<section end=M70-table/>
History
Prior to the implementation of WMATA's Better Bus Redesign, Route M70 was formerly identified as Routes J1 and J2. The J2 route originated as a streetcar service alongside the J4, connecting Silver Spring and Beltway Plaza Mall. This service transitioned to Metrobus operations on February 4, 1973, following WMATA's acquisition of DC Transit and other transit providers.
On February 19, 1978, both J2 and J4 routes were truncated to terminate at Silver Spring station. Their previous coverage was taken over by routes F4, running between Silver Spring and New Carrollton, and F6, serving Silver Spring to Greenbelt. Post-adjustment, J2 operated from Silver Spring to Montgomery Mall, while J4 covered Silver Spring to Friendship Heights. Additional routes J1 (Silver Spring–NIH) and J6 (Silver Spring–Friendship Heights) were introduced during this period.
Route J6 ceased operations on January 22, 1984, with Ride On routes 1 and 11 assuming its service area. Subsequently, on January 27, 1985, route J4 was discontinued and replaced by a combination of Ride On and Metrobus services. Concurrently, route J3 was launched to provide peak-direction trips between Montgomery Mall and Silver Spring.
On December 29, 1996, route J1 was extended beyond Medical Center station to reach Montgomery Mall, taking over from route J7 and adding coverage through Rock Creek Park.
Following the events of September 11, heightened security measures necessitated rerouting for routes 14B, J1, J2, and J3 near NIH and Medical Center stations during peak periods.
In WMATA’s Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal, the segment of route J1 running between Medical Center station and Montgomery Mall was proposed for elimination due to duplication with routes J2 and J3; nevertheless, this portion continued operating during weekday peak hours. On December 19, 2010, route J1 was shortened to terminate at Medical Center station, with service to Montgomery Mall being taken over by routes J2 and J3. With the opening of the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center in 2015, routes J1, J2, and J3 were redirected to Bus Bay 102.
The FY2018 budget included a proposal to discontinue route J1 as a cost-saving measure, citing low ridership on its exclusive segments such as Jones Mill Road/Jones Bridge Road—averaging only 3.54 boardings per revenue trip compared to the standard of 10.7. Alternative coverage was provided by routes J2, J3, L8, and Ride On route 33. While overall ridership and cost recovery for these lines were strong, performance on these exclusive sections remained poor.
In 2017, WMATA suggested re-extending route J1 back to Montgomery Mall along its former path but limiting operations to peak hours only. This proposal aimed to meet customer demand for peak-direction travel with quicker connections than those offered by routes J2/J3. It also sought to streamline services by eliminating route J3 while adjusting service levels accordingly. Performance data supported this plan with robust ridership figures (5,381 weekday riders) and a cost recovery rate of 24.11%.
Effective June 24, 2018, route J1 resumed its extension to Montgomery Mall via its prior routing before the changes made in 2010; however, it reverted to operating only during weekday peak hours in the peak direction. Route J3 was discontinued at this time and replaced by routes J1 and J2.
During the COVID-19 pandemic beginning March 16, 2020, service on this line was reduced to a Saturday schedule with all service on route J1 suspended; further cutbacks led to Sunday schedules by March 18. Weekend frequency for route J2 was decreased to every 30 minutes starting March 21. Full service levels were restored on August 23, 2020.
On September 5, 2021, frequency was enhanced with buses running every 12 minutes daily from 7:00 AM until 9:00 PM.
Better Bus Redesign
In 2022, WMATA initiated the Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking the first major transformation of its Metrobus system.
By April 2023, WMATA unveiled its Draft Visionary Network plan, suggesting changes to Route J2 that would keep it running along Old Georgetown Road while discontinuing service on West Cedar Lane, Wisconsin Avenue, Medical Center station, and Battery Lane. This route was redesignated as MD140.
The plan also introduced a new Route MD340 to connect Silver Spring station with Potomac via East-West Highway, Old Georgetown Road, and other nearby streets. Route J1 was eliminated; a portion of its coverage on Jones Bridge Road was integrated into Route L8 and rebranded as MD341, operating between Friendship Heights station and Leisure World Clubhouse. Service through Rock Creek Park was maintained by Ride On routes 6 and 96.
In WMATA’s Revised Draft Visionary Network, MD140 was renamed Route M70 without changes to its path. MD340 became M82 and was rerouted to follow the alignment of T2 to Friendship Heights station, running between Friendship Heights and Twinbrook station. The MD341 designation was removed in favor of Route M22. These adjustments were incorporated into WMATA’s 2025 Proposed Network.
During public review, Route M70’s routing was modified to include West Cedar Lane, Wisconsin Avenue, and Medical Center station—closely resembling the existing J2 route—but it no longer entered the Medical Center Station bus loop or served Battery Lane.
On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved the Better Bus Redesign Network, streamlining service along the College Park Line.
Effective June 29, 2025, Route J1 will be discontinued; Route J2 will be renamed M70 with its routing largely unchanged except for removal from the Medical Center Station bus loop. Additionally, the Battery Lane deviation during morning peak hours will cease following signal improvements that now permit buses to make continuous left turns onto West Cedar Lane.
Incidents
- On June 6, 2016, a J2 bus struck a pick-up truck near Grubb Road on East-West Highway and subsequently collided with two trees. The driver suffered severe injuries along with twelve passengers. The bus (XDE40 7255) sustained extensive damage to its front end.