A study team for the project is recommending the second of three options for the 1.2 mile stretch of pavement between Quince Orchard and Clopper roads. The option would widen the two lanes by three feet, to 12-feet, plus extend sidewalks, bike paths and medians.

The county project, under study for almost a year, seeks to improve safety and accommodate traffic on the west Gaithersburg road, which county consultants say will be overcrowded with cars by 2030.

But the City Council and a vocal group of residents who packed City Hall Monday night say that widening the street just isn't needed.

"Quite candidly, I can't see doing all you've suggested to do," said Mayor Sidney A. Katz, who lives near the road. "Longdraft is one of the few roads in Gaithersburg where there is no traffic problem. It works."

The team's recommendation, which could be reviewed by the county's park and planning commission in six to eight weeks, is a step below the full "four-lane" option, which would add two more lanes to the road.

The recommendation still requires the road's right of way be taken to 80 feet, in case the additional lanes need to be added in the future, said Alan Straus of URS Corp., an architectural engineering consultant for the project.

Straus said predicting traffic numbers on the road "is as much an art as a science," but maintained that the lanes would be needed as developments pop up and cars spill over from major highways, like Interstate 270.

The widening goes along with the county's master plan, last updated in 1985. Residents said they wanted it slashed from that plan.

The council, which only discusses projects during work sessions, will likely make a recommendation about Longdraft Road during a future City Council meeting.

"We've gone to great lengths and expense to discourage commuters from using our residential roads," Councilman Stanley J. Alster told team engineers. "What you're proposing...is really encouraging that."

The work session was the first formal public discussion between the City Council and county workers, although the issue has brewed with a group of residents--the Longdraft Road Coalition--since day one.

They say widening the road will impact their quality of life, inviting more cars to travel on the street at higher speeds. The plan could also raze a home and cut into several private properties.

Saqib Ali, co-chairman of the 180-person plus group, said he was pleased with the council's discussion.

"Their words were our words," he said. "We think their say will make a huge difference."

The plan could go to the County Council, which has ultimate approval, in a year, to a year and a half.