Bethesda to Gaithersburg Commute (Germantown: to rent, how much, house)

[Washingtonian]

I lived in the MD/DC area for years but I'm currently in NC and I have a great opportunity in Gaithersburg, MD. How is the commute from Bethesda to Gaithersburg? I prefer to live near DC in the Bethesda/CC area. Even though this posiiton is in G'burg, I expect future job opportunities to be located in DC v. G'burg. I know there is a Shady Grove metro stop. Is that the last stop on the redline? Would the drive be hell? Are there alternate routes other than 270?

[Kensington]

If you live in Bethesda, you should have a reverse commute out to Gaithersburg on 270. To minimize your commute, I would stay on the northern side of downtown Bethesda. The Wyngate neighborhood is close-in and has easy access to 270.

[dkf747]

Once you get to 270 it will be a brreeze. The problem will be in gettint to 270.

Shady Grove is indeed the last stop on the red line. If you use Metro's Trip Planner, it will include Ride-On bus routes in figuring out how to get there.

[Washingtonian]

How much time would you estimate the trip would take? 30 min, 45 min.

[dkf747]

15 to 45 minutes, depending on where you're starting from.

[TrippingJay]

I currently live in Bethesda, (Wilson Blvd and Old Georgetown) and commute to work in Germantown-Gaithersburg. 270 Northbound is against traffic and almost always runs smoothly. The only delays in the local traffic on 355 or Old Georgetown and total commute time ranges from 20-30 minutes; it all depends on what time window you leave at)

270 is perhaps your best bet, or you could take 355 north, but there is usually a ton of traffic lights. Metro is not the best, unless you office is right off the Metro Stop, otherwise you would have to take bus from the Metro to your office which would add additional time.

[Washingtonian]

Thanks for the information. 20-30 minutes sounds great. I really want to live in Bethesda. Hopefully, I can find a house to rent before I settle down permanently in the area. Do you know anything about the middle schools in the area? I talked to someone about Westland Middle. I would assume that most of the schools in Bethesda are pretty good.

[Joykins]

It's a reverse commute so it should go pretty fast, probably average of 30 minutes which is good for that distance. There actually are some express buses that run that way - I'm thinking of the J7 from Bethesda station to Lakeforest but its reverse-commute hours are pretty limited.