Archive: January 2008
Streetcars in DC's Future
A groundbreaking ceremony today at Benning Road and H Street NE brought together the people who make urban transportation projects happen: There was the mayor, the head of the department of transportation, some of his engineers and project managers, the local council member and business and civic leaders from the neighborhood. Rendering of corridor's Starburst intersection, with trolley. (DDOT image) The ceremony formally launched the rebuilding of the Benning Road/H Street corridor and the groundwork for a streetcar line that will run to Union Station. Like other transit projects such as the Purple Line, the Columbia Pike line and Dulles rail, it's not only about moving people more quickly and efficiently from one point to another -- important as that is. It's also about organizing the future of communities. In this case, Mayor Adrian Fenty, Transportation Director Emeka Moneme, Council Member Tommy Wells and many community leaders are working for...
By | January 31, 2008; 12:35 PM ET | Comments (58)
Metro GM Talks About Service, Dulles Rail
General Manager John B. Catoe Jr., starting his second year in the job, cited progress with the system's safety and reliability but outlined several significant problem that still need attention. In a press conference this morning to mark his one year anniversary, he also defended the Dulles rail project against some of the criticisms the Federal Transit Administration leveled against it last week. He also confirmed that Metrorail ridership is up since the fare increases on Jan. 6 -- by 1 percent overall and 2.6 percent on weekdays, according to Metro staff -- but said it was a couple of months too early to make anything out of that. (See previous entry.) Thinking back on his first year, Catoe noted he had remarked to the Metro board "That was no honeymoon." When he took over last winter, fatal accidents involving Metro employees and pedestrians were raising widespread concern about the...
By | January 30, 2008; 12:19 PM ET | Comments (12)
Metrorail Ridership Still Strong
During the hearings late last year on the Metro fare increases, many riders talked about the likelihood that people would abandon the trains and take to their cars in reaction to the biggest Metro fare increases ever. So far, I don't see such a trend in the ridership numbers that Metro posts on its Web site. An ideal world. (Metro photo) Now, of course, it's still early. The fare increases took effect on Jan. 6. But so far, the weekday ridership numbers are higher than on weekdays last January. One example from last week: On Thursday, Jan. 24, 722,390 Metrorail trips were recorded. On Jan. 24, 2007, which was a Wednesday, ridership totaled 719,701. From a week earlier: On Thursday, Jan. 17, rail ridership was 713,053. On the same date in 2007, it was 691,186. Ridership varies from day to day as well as year to year, and it's tough...
By | January 30, 2008; 5:16 AM ET | Comments (39)
Gov. Kaine Sticks by Dulles Rail
Gov. Tim Kaine hasn't given up on the project, despite the hard hit it took last week from Federal Transit Administrator James Simpson and his boss, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters. He talked about the next step on Dulles rail this morning on WTOP's Ask the Governor show: "Our game plan: Work with the secretary's office, answer the questions that the administrator has raised and make this critical project happen." Kaine and other officials behind the project took the FTA's response last week as you might take an unfair performance evaluation at work, when it sounds like the bosses were saving stuff up to unload on you all at once. The person on the receiving end is bound to be thinking about all the times the bosses could have said some of these things, and wonder why they're piling on now. Kaine noted on the radio, as other Virginia leaders...
By | January 29, 2008; 1:06 PM ET | Comments (14)
Alternatives to Congestion
The blog has focused a lot lately on the clash between the U.S. Department of Transportation and the effort to extend Metrorail out to Dulles, and it's certainly the top issue in local transportation at this moment. But heavy rail is just one of many options travelers need in a region as big and complex as ours. At a forum tonight in Manassas, we'll be talking about some of those other options. Three are in the planning stages here: bus rapid transit, a ferry service and high occupancy or toll (HOT) lanes. A fourth is working right now: The informal carpooling arrangement known as slugging. The forum, is sponsored by the Prince William Committee of 100, which begins the evening with a dinner, but there's no charge if you'd like to come for the panel, which starts at 7:45 p.m. Each of the panelists will take 10 minutes to discuss...
By | January 29, 2008; 10:40 AM ET | Comments (5)
Traffic Advisories for DC
Federal agencies have a couple of traffic advisories for you. President Bush is scheduled to deliver the State of the Union speech tonight at about 9 o'clock, but the U.S. Capitol police will close off streets around the Capitol at 7:30 p.m. You'll find a full list of the streets involved at this Capitol police Web page. The National Park Service announced that on Wednesday, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., it will close the inbound (or eastbound) ramp that leads from Memorial Bridge to the Kennedy Center and Rock Creek Parkway. This is for tree pruning, unrelated to the longterm project on the parkway. Detour: Go to 23rd Street southbound, turn right at Independence Avenue and to then head north toward the Kennedy Center and Rock Creek Parkway....
By | January 28, 2008; 2:25 PM ET | Comments (7)
Plan B for Rail Transit?
In rebuffing the plan to build a Metrorail line through Tysons Corner and on to Dulles Airport, the Federal Transit Administration said it doubted whether the Washington airports authority could manage the project. Let's take that concern as valid for a moment. If the airports authority, which is managing the multi-billion dollar expansion of Dulles Airport, can't manage construction of a Metrorail line, who could? How about Metro? No. After Metro built out the five rail lines as planned, it got out of the rail construction business. It no longer has a department that could immediately turn its attention to the task of building a new rail line across the District or the suburbs. It certainly seemed like a logical decision last year. Metro was out to cut personnel costs before proposing a fare increase. Virginia was committed to building the only Metrorail extension for the foreseeable future. Why keep...
By | January 28, 2008; 8:25 AM ET | Comments (28)
This Weekend and Beyond
Whether you drive or take transit, here are some things you might like to know about traveling this weekend and next week. I-395 Signs Starting Monday, the District will be in its final phase of installing new signs along the interstate, to give you more time to figure out your exit. Day work is scheduled from 9:30a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday. For the rest of the project, the work will be done during evening hours, 8 p.m. to 4:30 a.m. It should be done on Feb. 8. Watch for temporary lane closures in these areas: -- Northbound I-395's HOV ramp at the 14th Street Bridge. -- Northbound I-395's two left lanes, from the 14th Street Bridge to the 12th Street Expressway. -- Southbound I-395's left lane, from 12th Street to the 14th Street Bridge. Red Line Delays Metro tonight will resume work on replacing the switch at Medical Center Station....
By | January 25, 2008; 11:54 AM ET | Comments (1)
Feds Slam Dulles Rail Project
Federal Transit Administrator James Simpson said this afternoon that his agency has serious questions about whether the Washington airports authority can build the rail line to Dulles and whether Metro can operate it. [See Amy Gardner's story in Friday's Post.] Rendering of proposed Tysons East station. (Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project photo) This morning, the FTA presented its concerns to Gov. Timothy Kaine, congressmen from Virginia, the airports authority and Metro. If they heard the same things Simpson just said in his press conference, they should be devastated about the future of this project, which has become a crucial part of the planning for the future of Northern Virginia. Simpson left no doubt during the press conference that the rail plan faces a string of uncertainties as far as the FTA is concerned, and that's important because the project needs $900 million in federal funds to construct the first phase, which...
By | January 24, 2008; 3:46 PM ET | Comments (103)
Dulles Rail Decision Near
Virginia officials know the Washington suburbs need the Metrorail line that would run through the rapidly developing centers of Tysons, Reston and Dulles. They're prepared to deal with any objection the U.S. Department of Transportation raises so that they can win the $900 million federal contribution that is crucial to construction of this very expensive project. Rendering of a planned Route 7 station in Tysons Corner. (Dulles Corridor Metrorail Project photo) But DOT just doesn't want to let this one go. In The Post, Amy Gardner writes about a meeting scheduled for today between Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and Congress members from Virginia and U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. Last week, Peters laid out a lot of her philosophy on transportation policy in her dissent from the National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Commission, which she chaired. The commission's report, endorsed by the nine congressionally appointed members but not...
By | January 24, 2008; 8:55 AM ET | Comments (24)
Park Police Hope to Ease Delays
The U.S. Park Police have a new technique they hope will cut down on the traffic congestion that follows a serious accident on the parkways in the Washington region. It's a software program that uses a calibrated digital camera and numbered markers to create three-dimensional diagrams of accident scenes. The photogrammetry technique gives police the same scene evidence they get from older methods of accident reconstruction, but it lets them get out of there quicker and reopen closed lanes. The park police used the technique to reconstruct a Jan. 8 pedestrian accident on the Clara Barton Parkway, said Sgt. Robert Lachance, a police spokesman. The technique will work in many scenarios, but not all, he said. It's most useful when the accident scene is fairly compact. Lachance said it's difficult to give an average for home much time can be saved, since no two accidents or investigations are alike. He...
By | January 23, 2008; 5:41 AM ET | Comments (5)
Winter Advisory Canceled
Temperatures are rising this afternoon, and the worst weather you should encounter on your way home is a bit of rain. The National Weather Service has canceled its winter weather advisory because of the rising temperatures and lack of percipitation. Still, it was good to see all those Maryland DOT and contractor plows and trucks along I-95 this afternoon. They were all standing by along the medians and on the sides of the highway awaiting what developed. The only complaints about road conditions that I've received this season came in December when a small storm struck us earlier in the morning than forecast and the highway crews were out at the same time as the morning rush hour traffic. Roads were being treated for the first time as you were driving on them. We've had other weather problems since then, but the complaints I've gotten from readers have mostly been...
By | January 22, 2008; 1:36 PM ET | Comments (3)
New Signals on South Capitol
There are two new traffic signals on South Capitol Street SE, part of the gateway corridor project that includes the rehabilitation of the Frederick Douglass Bridge. Both are near the new Nationals baseball stadium, north of the Douglass Bridge. Look for one at the intersection of South Capitol and O Street and the other at the intersection with P Street. Early last year, when we started talking about the South Capitol Street project and the bridge rehab -- including the summertime shutdown -- many commuters were worried about the impact of new signals. Would they slow down traffic? The District's idea is to open up the neighborhood and make it easier to get across South Capitol for people traveling east-west. The District Department of Transportation hopes the new signals will improve pedestrian safety and allow traffic to move safely through the intersections. DDOT says the lights will be coordinated with...
By | January 22, 2008; 12:02 PM ET | Comments (11)
Tuesday Traffic Downtown
Tuesday is the day for the annual March for Life on the national mall. Some streets will be closed temporarily and parking restrictions will be in effect. Participants in the main march (there are likely to be some other, smaller marches feeding into the main one) begin assembling at 9 a.m. on the mall between Fourth and Seventh streets NW. Then at about 1 p.m., they march to the Supreme Court. The route takes them up 4th Street to Pennsylvania Avenue NW, then east on Pennsylvania to Constitution Avenue, to First Street NE, then south on First Street past the court, then east on East Capitol Street. They disband at Second Street about three hours after starting out. Use this link to the D.C. police department Web page to see the full details about the street closings and parking restrictions....
By | January 21, 2008; 6:36 AM ET | Comments (5)
The Weekend and Beyond
Metrorail Delays Many riders will encounter slow going this holiday weekend because of single-tracking around the repair work underway at Metro Center. Passengers, especially those bound for events at Verizon Center, should build in at least a half an hour extra travel time from 10 o'clock tonight through Monday night. The second half of the project, which will fix the bridge that takes the Red Line tracks over the Blue and Orange Line tracks, is scheduled for President's Day weekend. (Here's a link to Lena H. Sun's story about the project.) Work area on Blue/Orange platform. (Gerald Martineau) Metro Center Station will remain open. The Shady Grove side of the Red Line platform will be closed. Trains will use the other track. Blue and Orange Line riders will find their platform open. They will see the areas above both tracks where the Metro crews are replacing sections of hard...
By | January 18, 2008; 5:11 AM ET | Comments (30)
Couple of Weather Postponements
Our Web site is running a list of closings and cancellations, because of today's storm, but I heard about a couple of others related to transportation events. -- The Prince William Committee of 100 has postponed this evening's forum on transportation scheduled for the Four Points Sheraton in Manassas and will pick a new date for the event. (I heard about that one because I was scheduled to moderate the panel and am looking forward to getting there on the new date.) -- The Maryland State Highway Administration has postponed an open house scheduled for tonight in Montgomery County to discuss plans to widen Route 124. SHA spokeswoman Kellie Boulware says the new date is Feb. 7. The meeting at Judith A. Resnick Elementary School cafeteria, 7301 Hadley Farms Drive, Gaithersburg, will begin at 5:30 p.m. and end at 8 p.m. (The SHA is planning to widen Route 124 to...
By | January 17, 2008; 1:48 PM ET | Comments (6)
Dulles Rail Plan Vital to Suburbs
State and local officials in Virginia are ready to do whatever it takes to meet federal conditions and get a new Metrorail line built through Tysons and on to Dulles. But the U.S. Department of Transportation is taking a long time to review the rail plan, and as Amy Gardner says in today's Post, it may not go along. The rail line has noteworthy problems: Huge cost, dissatisfaction with the above-ground route through Tysons and uncertainties about how it will mesh with the rest of the Metro system. But abandoning the project would be a disaster for Northern Virginia and the Washington region. There's no second choice. Planning for the future of Tysons, the economic linchpin of Northern Virginia, is organized around the four new Metro stations the rail line would provide. Along the Toll Road on the way to Dulles Airport is Reston, another boomtown without a significant transit...
By | January 17, 2008; 8:34 AM ET | Comments (51)
National Transport Report Draws Praise, Criticism
There has been plenty of reaction to the national transportation plan presented Tuesday by a congressional commission. Commissioners called on Americans to set new goals and employ new methods in creating a 21st Century transportation system. These are excerpts from some of the governmental, transportation industry and environmental group responses to the commission's report. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials President Pete Rahn "The National Surface Transportation Policy and Revenue Study Commission has put forth some bold and groundbreaking concepts to deliver on the promise of mobility for this and future generations." "Some of the recommendations in this report will be considered controversial, but clearly the ideas presented will help to stimulate the national debate we must have if we are to chart a course for a transportation network equal to the demands of the 21st Century." U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters, chairman of the commission and one...
By | January 16, 2008; 5:37 AM ET | Comments (16)
Toward a New Era in Transportation
A congressional commission today started what it hopes will be a national conversation about what we want out of our transportation system and how we'll pay for it. You can find the commission's full report here. These are some -- but definitely not all -- of the conclusions. -- As thousands of drivers and transit riders in the Washington region rediscover on a daily basis, whatever we're doing now isn't working. It's taking more and more time and it's more and more stressful to reach our destinations. -- We need to figure out what we're trying to do. The last time we had a national goal for getting around was when we planned, financed and built the interstate highway system that today accounts for about a quarter of four traffic. Today we have something that's more like a national revenue-sharing program between the federal government and the states and localities....
By | January 15, 2008; 2:08 PM ET | Comments (92)
Major Rehab at Metro Center
Repairs to the Red Line bridge over the Blue and Orange lines at Metro Center will limit service this holiday weekend at one of the transit system's most important hubs. The Red Line bridge at Metro Center is sagging, so the transit authority is going to replace the bearing pads that support the bridge. Also, crews will replace the granite platform and ceiling tiles, and repair expansion joints and structural concrete. While the tracks and platforms are safe, Metro says, the work needs to be done. But the $1.3 million job at a crucial downtown junction of three rail lines is bound to be disruptive, so Metro is planning to do the work on two three-day holiday weekends: Martin Luther King Jr. Day and President's Day weekends. The station will remain open during the work. However, Metro recommends building an extra 30 minutes into your travel times on the Red,...
By | January 15, 2008; 7:28 AM ET | Comments (28)
Gripes About Traffic Reports
Are commuters in any portion of our region deprived of traffic reports? Here's one commuter who thinks so. Dear Dr. Gridlock: I'm writing to vent on my pet peeve, which is the complete lack of traffic coverage for commuters coming in and out through the southeast area of DC. As everyone knows, there are only three ways to get into the city from Southern Maryland: I-295, Suitland Parkway, and Pennsylvania Avenue. Day after day, we are stuck in horrific delays, with no mention at all on the traffic reports, or, if there is a mention, it is usually too little too late. Don't we deserve equal coverage and consideration? Is it a case of snobbery or racism? How can WTOP brag about their coverage when they consistently ignore 1/4 of the pie that the D.C. metro area is comprised of? In addition, even those commuters who try to do their...
By | January 14, 2008; 8:07 AM ET | Comments (29)
The Weekend and Beyond
HOV Change Starting Monday, drivers must be in three-person carpools to use the HOV lane section between Duke Street and Springfield between 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. That segment had been open to all drivers since 1982, to help ease congestion around the Springfield interchange. Now that the interchange has been rebuilt to improve traffic flow, Virginia has decided to restore HOV rules. State transportation officials say 2,500 non-HOV vehicles were using the lanes in this section. Half probably will use the regular through lanes of Interstate 395 and half will use the local lanes, to exit at Springfield. Peak volumes on the HOV lanes likely will drop by 30 percent, while peak volumes on regular lanes through the interchange likely will increase by 8 percent, the state says. Red Line Weekends Metro is replacing a switch outside Medical Center Station in Bethesda. This weekend, the work is scheduled to...
By | January 11, 2008; 12:21 PM ET | Comments (6)
Metro Looking at New Cars
The next generation of Metrorail cars, which could be about five years away, will be a sharp break from the design of the past four decades. Side view of new interior. (Metro photo) Metro managers made their first, very preliminary presentation about this today to the transit authority board. I'll show you the pictures they displayed, and they should be fun to talk about, but don't think of the design specifics as set. As board members pointed out, they can have a dozen meetings just to discuss redesign of the Metro logo, let alone how the interior of the cars should look. [See story by Lena H. Sun in Friday's Post.] More significant is the basic concept: In buying new generations of rail cars, Metro has sought to make each new series compatible with the previous series. That gives transit managers more flexibility when they put together the four-car, six-car...
By | January 10, 2008; 8:58 AM ET | Comments (47)
Repairs Will Slow Red Line Travel
This is a special alert for Metro's Red Line riders about delays likely to occur on weekends during the next month. The transit authority does some form of track maintenance every weekend, which slows down travel because trains must take turns sharing a single track around the work. This is bigger: Metro will be replacing a switch outside the Medical Center Station in Bethesda. The work required is extensive and the impact significant. So Metro decided to do it during the winter weekends, when ridership is lower, but it will take four weekends to finish. This is the work schedule: -- 9 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday. -- 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 25, to midnight Sunday, Jan. 27. (Skipping over the MLK Day weekend.) -- 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, to midnight Sunday, Feb. 3. -- 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, to midnight Sunday, Feb. 10. During those time periods,...
By | January 9, 2008; 1:11 PM ET | Comments (10)
Updates on Road and Transit Concerns
Here's news about three current issues affecting many drivers and transit users. Lane Closures on I-66 Westbound Do the terms "inbound" and "outbound" mean much anymore in a region with as many job centers as ours? The Virginia Department of Transportation has further restricted the work scheduled for the westbound lanes of Interstate 66 inside the Beltway, because the traffic congestion in the supposedly off-peak and outbound lanes was too severe. VDOT crews have been drilling for sound walls that might be built as part of the plan for spot widenings that could occur along those westbound lanes. Mike Salmon, a VDOT spokesman, said in an e-mail to me that "Due to traffic delays, we are halting work until the spring or summer so we can work in the evenings, after rush hour. For the rest of the week, we have a modified schedule for the same area along I-66...
By | January 9, 2008; 10:20 AM ET | Comments (3)
Comment Time on Transportation Agenda
That newly powerful transportation authority -- the one that just started taxing many of you in Northern Virginia -- is holding a hearing Thursday night to let people comment on what you'll get for your money over the next few years. These are the initial highway, transit, bike and pedestrian projects to be financed by the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority, whose empowerment was the most meaningful product of last year's tumultuous session of the General Assembly. There's a seven-page-long list of projects on the authority's Web site. The hearing is at George Mason High School Auditorium, 7124 Leesburg Pike, in Falls Church. It starts at 6 p.m. Thursday. People who want to speak have until 7 p.m. to sign up. Individuals will be able to speak for three minutes, while those representing organizations can speak for five minutes. The authority members also are going to vote to confirm John Mason,...
By | January 9, 2008; 5:22 AM ET | Comments (351)
Traffic Delays on I-66 in Arlington
Virginia Department of Transportation crews are drilling holes for retaining walls near Westmoreland Street (Exit 68 on Interstate 66), requiring some late-morning lane closures on the westbound side that are likely to result in heavy traffic congestion this week. Each morning this week, from 10 a.m. to about 11:30 a.m., expect to find the two right lanes and the right shoulder closed in the westbound direction. That schedule should hold as long as the weather is okay. VDOT says it will put out an updated schedule for more work that must be done as part of this effort, which is part of the study for the proposed spot improvements along westbound I-66 inside the Beltway....
By | January 8, 2008; 5:11 AM ET | Comments (18)
Feeling the Fares?
How was your Metro ride this morning? Did the commute feel more luxurious, now that you're paying more? On a Red Line ride from Glenmont to Farragut North, I would not have been able to tell the new fares and fees are in effect until I smacked my SmarTrip card against the fare gate at Farragut North and saw "$4.00" on the readout. People who park at Glenmont won't pay the new $4.75 fee until they leave this evening. I heard no announcements in the station. The fare calculator sign at the station manager's kiosk was new, but still in that really tiny type, so you'd have to look closely to notice the new charges. (And I didn't see anyone doing that.) The station manager was helping some people figure out how to buy SmarTrip cards at the one of two vending machines that was in working order. But there...
By | January 7, 2008; 9:44 AM ET | Comments (29)
Fare Increase Basics
The new Metro fares and fees take effect on Sunday, but most riders won't feel the effects until Monday, when they park at rail stations and board rush hour trains. New fare guide posted. (Metro photo) At the stations, passengers will see new fare charts posted on the vending machines and the station managers' booths. On buses, new decals with updated fare information will be displayed on the fareboxes. Look also for brochures in the stations and on buses that announce the new charges. These are the increases that affect most riders: A 75 cent increase in the daily parking rate, a 30 to 75 cent increase in the cost of a train ride during rush periods and a 10 cent increase in the bus fare unless the rider pays with a SmarTrip electronic fare card, in which case the cost stays the same. [Readers, I adjusted the max fare...
By | January 4, 2008; 5:50 AM ET | Comments (57)
GW Parkway Work Starts Monday
The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration are going to rebuild the Humpback Bridge, which carries 75,000 vehicles a day over Boundary Channel, just northwest of the 14th Street Bridge. The $35 million project, which is likely to cause big traffic delays on the parkway, is scheduled to start Monday and last two and a half years. Humpback Bridge area on GW Parkway. (Federal Highway Administration) This got my attention in part because the Rock Creek Parkway reconstruction project was one of the top Dr. Gridlock letter-generators of 2007. Motorists complained not only about the pace of work along that route but also about what they considered a lack of timely information regarding the project's impact and commuting alternatives. For the upcoming GW Parkway project, the park service is trying hard to get the word out about what its doing, why and what your driving options are. Like so...
By | January 3, 2008; 8:50 AM ET | Comments (55)
Alert for Southern MD Drivers
With the holidays over, highway work picks up again. The highlight: A section of Route 5 near the Capital Beltway in Prince George's is scheduled to shut down for the weekend, as part of Maryland's $52 million project to rebuild the interchange at the Beltway. This project, designed to improve access to the Branch Avenue Metro station, started in March 2006 and is scheduled to be completed by fall 2009. This part involves placement of structural steel for a flyover ramp to southbound Route 5 (Branch Avenue). This will require the closing of Route 5 between Auth Road and Manchester Drive from 2 p.m. on Saturday to 5 a.m. on Monday. The right lane along the Beltway's outer loop will be blocked for about a quarter mile north of the interchange. Also, the ramp from the outer loop to northbound Route 5 will be closed. Drivers will have no direct...
By | January 2, 2008; 5:06 AM ET | Email a Comment
