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Transportation
in Rockville
(page
4 of 5)
Click on the images below to enlarge them
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Congressional
Airport
Ever wonder where Congressional shopping plaza got its name? It is on the site of Congressional Airport and School of Aeronautics, opened in 1928,
before an airfield existed to serve Washington,
D.C. Although many in town had initial reservations about
this whole thing (drivers on Rockville Pike were "buzzed" sometimes), by the
1930s families spent Sunday afternoon watching
the planes land and take off.
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Buses
By the 1930s, buses had replaced
trolleys. Bus routes could easily be
changed to
accommodate demand, and buses
could travel alternate
routes in the event something blocked their
path. The Blue Ridge Transportation Company
operated buses in Montgomery County from 1924 to
1955. Even so, Rockville residents continued to
buy cars because of inadequate bus services and
schedules. |
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After
Blue Ridge closed its business, the Red Rocket
and Oriole Motor provided bus service to
Washington, D.C. along the Rockville Pike.
Peerless does not have anything regarding the
Red Rocket and little about Oriole Motor.
We wish to add information and artifacts related
to these to our Collection, please call
301-762-0096 or e-mail
collections@peerlessrockville.org. |
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People
waiting to board the Blue Ridge
Lines bus in front of
the pool hall in town
Center.
Dated ca. 1940,
photograph by Roy Perry (RP1982.203) >> |
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Montgomery
County began operating Ride-On bus service in 1981,
connecting to and expanding the reach of WMATA
(Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority). Ride-On buses provide routes into neighborhoods
and tie residents to the regional transportation
network of buses, Metrorail, commuter rail lines, and
airports.
Rockville
Pike in the 20th Century
By the 1890s, the old Washington
Turnpike Company declared bankruptcy and deeded the
roadway to Montgomery County. The 1899 Report on
the Highways of Maryland (Maryland Geological
Society) stated that the Pike was "one of the
worst pieces of main highway in the state."
The newly created State Roads Commission included the
Pike into the state highway system as part of the Good
Roads Movement.
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