Archive: February 2008
Red Line Revisited
Stuck inside a tunnel with the Red Line blues again: All that stuff that happened last weekend is going to happen again, starting at 9 o'clock Friday night and continuing through midnight Sunday. Replacement of a switch at Van Ness Station means that inbound and outbound Red Line trains will be taking turns sharing a single track around the work zone in upper northwest Washington. That's a popular route for many people getting to and from restaurants, movies, games and other entertainments. Last weekend, I heard from many riders angered by the delays. (Metro says add at least 30 minutes to the time it normally takes on your Red Line trip.) The transit authority, which had extra staffers out on the line, heard your complaints, but it thinks its service plan is about as good as it can get. These are Metro's suggestions for busing around the work zone: L2...
By | February 29, 2008; 4:49 PM ET | Comments (2)
Another Blow To Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia, a cash cow for the Commonwealth and for the United States, can't catch a break from either the state or the federal government on improving its transportation system. Today, the state Supreme Court ruled that the financing system that was on track to provide $50 million a year for Metro, $25 million a year for the Virginia Railway Express and improvements to Routes 1, 7, 28 and 123 among other roads, must be scrapped. The Northern Virginia Transportation Authority's main hope for recovering the lost revenue is for the General Assembly to act before its session ends in Richmond. Anyone who recalls the struggle to win that taxing power last year will understand how difficult Phase 2 will be. Last month, it was the federal government weighing in on the plan to bring Metrorail service through Tysons and eventually on to Dulles. The Federal Transit Administration practically drove...
By | February 29, 2008; 3:17 PM ET | Comments (30)
The Thin Green Line
The District's plan for parking on the streets around the new Nationals Park and the Nationals' plan for parking in the nearby garages and lots shows how heavily they will be relying on Metro's Green people mover. This will be Washington's first experience in the modern era with a large urban arena served by only one rail line. The program laid out in Daniel LeDuc's Post story today had better work. Delays on the Green Line during the evening rush when a night game also is scheduled will add to the crowding at the Metro Center, L'Enfant Plaza and Gallery Place transfer stations. Metro's board of directors today approved a plan to enhance bus service linking Union Station, Eastern Market and Navy Yard, which should relieve some of that pressure, because riders will be able to board the bus from stations on the Red, Blue and Orange lines. Aside from...
By | February 28, 2008; 8:28 AM ET | Comments (34)
I-66 Ramp Closed Today
The Virginia Department of Transportation issued this traffic alert: Interstate 66 westbound exit ramp 43A to Route 29 south will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday to allow the I-66 widening project to demolish portions of the structure over the ramp. Detour: Use exit 43B to northbound Route 29, bear left on the ramp, turn left at the light onto southbound Route 29....
By | February 28, 2008; 4:31 AM ET | Email a Comment
Will Stadium Overwhelm Transit?
There's a major transportation challenge coming this spring in the District: Getting people to and from, or around, the new baseball stadium. This letter from a Navy Yard commuter explores one important aspect. Dear Dr. Gridlock: I wish to address the problem of baseball stadium traffic, and more pointly the problem of getting spectators to and from the Nationals games. Currently it is expected that all of the spectators would get to and from the games by taking the train and getting off at Navy Yard Station. This is a little rinky-dink station with a little rinky-dink platform that handles only one line. One solution is to utilize the buses to take the pressure off Navy Yard, and it has been suggested that everybody be encouraged to take the N22. The problem with this is that to find the stop you have to exit the other side of Navy Yard...
By | February 27, 2008; 8:32 AM ET | Comments (47)
Kaine: Ice Storm Response "Abysmal"
"VDOT has felt my wrath," Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said on WTOP radio this morning in response to a question about the Primary Day ice storm. He said the Virginia Department of Transportation is conducting "an intensive evaluation" of that nightmare afternoon and evening when commuters were stuck as long as seven hours, most notably on the 50 bridges and ramps that make up the Springfield Interchange. The report will be "transparent and open to the public," Kaine said. "My VDOT did an abysmal job dealing with that weather on Primary Day, he told the radio audience on his monthly "Ask the Governor" show. The station played a recording of traffic reporter Bob Marbourg announcing, "This is a wakeup call to everybody out there in a salt truck. ... Across the region, we are hearing from callers that the bridge decks are freezing up." That was at about 3...
By | February 26, 2008; 10:54 AM ET | Comments (9)
Weekend Frustrations on Red Line
Guys like Ben Ross, the president of the Action Committee for Transit, are among Metro's best friends. They are true believers in transit. So when Ross and his Montgomery County group have a complaint about transit, you notice. Ross is among the many people angry about the delays and crowding on the Red Line this weekend, the first of four weekends for a major track repair project at the Van Ness Station. He made public he sent to Metro General Manager John B. Catoe Jr. Dear Mr. Catoe: Trains ran on 30 minute headways Saturday night on the Red Line due to single tracking between Friendship Heights and Dupont Circle. I was on an inbound train last night that was offloaded at Friendship Heights and told to wait for the next train coming in 15 minutes. This is an unacceptable level of service at a busy time for Metro; boardings...
By | February 25, 2008; 2:57 PM ET | Comments (20)
What Would You Pay? And How?
How much would you pay to stay out of traffic congestion? In today's Post, Eric Weiss writes about the plans to build the high occupancy or toll (HOT) lanes in Virginia along the west side of the Capital Beltway and along I-95/395. Since the goal is to keep the extra lanes free of congestion and maintain highway speeds, there's no limit on what the tolls can be. Estimates are that they will be a dollar a mile during rush periods, but that's not a cutoff. You get to put the old equation "Time is Money" into practice. Every day. Sluggers hate the HOT lanes because they believe this will end their informal and highly successful system of carpooling. That's a separate question. For the majority of people who drive alone, how much time would you save on your trip if you could travel the interstate part at a consistent speed...
By | February 25, 2008; 8:02 AM ET | Comments (25)
The Weekend and Beyond
Road work has really slowed down across the Washington region, but Metro is making up for it, with several projects going this weekend. New Switch to Fix After completing work on the rail switch at Medical Center Station, Metro has begun a four-weekend project to fix a switch at Van Ness-UDC. If you're traveling between Dupont Circle and Friendship Heights from 9 o'clock Friday through the system's close at midnight Sunday, add at least 30 minutes to your normal travel time. To maximize service at the busiest stations, every other train heading toward Shady Grove will terminate at Farragut North and head back to Glenmont. Every other train heading toward Glenmont will terminate at Friendship Heights and go back to Shady Grove. Each of the next three weekends will follow the same pattern: Travel delays will begin at 9 p.m. on Fridays and continue through midnight Sundays. Also this weekend,...
By | February 22, 2008; 3:35 PM ET | Comments (12)
Storm Easing Up
Your afternoon commute should be better than this morning's trip. The weather service has canceled the winter storm warning and travel conditions have improved, especially within the Capital Beltway, as the morning's icy mix changed to mostly rain and diminished. Maryland monitors winter highway conditions from its State Operations Center near BWI. (Thomson - file) But temperatures remain around freezing, and you still may encounter slick spots. VDOT, still smarting from the Feb. 12 ice storm delays at the Springfield Interchange, says it isn't taking any chances on the road conditions. Crews have treated commuter lots and will continue to treat highway ramps and bridges. They also are sanding hills, curves and trouble spots in subdivisions. Highway crews across the region had plenty of warning about the arrival of this storm, so all jurisdictions mobilized overnight and were out treating the roads, even neighborhood streets that usually are the last...
By | February 22, 2008; 1:50 PM ET | Comments (12)
Snow Preparations Underway
There is an upside: The timing of this snow and ice storm will allow many commuters to see what they're in for before leaving home and make decisions accordingly. Current forecasts show the wintery mix arriving in time for the morning rush, when some people can still decide to take transit or telecommute. But drivers should beware that this storm likely will fit our recent pattern, with conditions varying from snow to ice to nothing and back again over a single commute. Don't be lulled if you start out in snow today. You'll probably come back in ice. (Worry about warming the windshield. During the Feb. 12 ice storm, many drivers found that the first pass of the wipers rendered the road ahead invisible. And take a scraper today.) Our Traffic Page has a map indicating accidents and delays, as well as camera views. We also have the forecast page...
By | February 21, 2008; 4:35 PM ET | Comments (2)
VDOT Gets Out Snow Equipment
Virginia's transportation department seems determined to avoid a repeat of last week's icy disaster at the Springfield Interchange. Let's wish 'em luck today and later this week, if the forecast holds. Today, VDOT said in an announcement, it's focusing on the bridges and overpasses, particularly at the Springfield Mixing Bowl. This includes pre-treating the ramps and bridges with 15 trucks with salt and sand and with four liquid magnesium tankers, the department said. The trucks were stationed ahead of time at the ramps and bridges throughout the interchange, so they could treat the roadways ahead of any snow or ice. This will be the standard procedure for all future snow and ice storms, VDOT said. Across its areas of responsibility in Northern Virginia, VDOT is sending out 722 salt and sand trucks. Besides the 114 trucks covering the interstates, there will be 317 trucks in Fairfax County, 101 trucks in...
By | February 20, 2008; 1:34 PM ET | Comments (6)
Md. Considering More Speed Cameras
Police and state transportation officials packed a Maryland General Assembly committee hearing yesterday to endorse a bill that would allow jurisdictions across the state to use cameras to ticket speeders. The bill also would allow their use in road construction zones. Montgomery County introduced speed cameras last year. (Thomson) State senators on the Judicial Proceedings Committee asked the same questions that many readers asked when the speed camera program began last year in Montgomery County: Why is this necessary? Are the cameras effective? What if you're not the driver of the vehicle speeding? Is this a revenue-raiser? The measure (Senate Bill 269 and House Bill 364) has two parts: One would give local governments the right to create a speed camera system after holding a public hearing and enacting an ordinance. The other would allow their use in the roadway work zones. The bills are backed by the governor, and...
By | February 20, 2008; 8:44 AM ET | Comments (18)
Documenting Extreme Commutes
There are two types of commuters: Those of us who get to work, sigh, and think that, well, somebody else probably had it worse; and those of us who get to work, sigh, and suspect that no one else could possibly have had it any worse. Your commute here? (Thomson) If you're in the latter category, you're probably an extreme commuter, a person who travels a very long distance -- perhaps from central Virginia, West Virginia, southern Pennsylvania or the Eastern Shore -- for the privilege of working with the rest of us here in the Washington area. (With congestion worsening, an extreme commute isn't as far away as it used to be.) Andrea Bloom, a graduate student at American University, is making a documentary film about your commute. Right now, she's looking to recruit some of you extremists to be in the film, which is part of a thesis....
By | February 19, 2008; 8:36 AM ET | Comments (7)
Advisories on D.C. Road Work
Drivers, a couple of projects in the District may affect your travels today. Potomac Freeway Ramp. The District Department of Transportation will be working on the ramp to the Whitehurst Freeway starting today at 6 a.m. and continuing to 6 a.m. Wednesday at the latest. Here's the detour: From I-66/Potomac Freeway, take a left onto Rock Creek Parkway, bear right at the yield sign on 27th Street NW, turn left onto K Street to the Whitehurst. 11th Street Bridge. As many as two outbound lanes on the 11th Street Bridge over the Anacostia may be closed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. today for some repairs....
By | February 18, 2008; 5:00 AM ET | Comments (2)
Weekend-Long Delays on Metro
Metrorail riders are used to service delays caused by weekend repair and testing projects, but this one more extensive. It's phase two -- the final phase -- of a bridge rehab job at Metro Center, and it's going to disrupt service on three lines for the entire President's Day weekend. The problem is that the Red Line tracks are sagging where they cross over the Blue and Orange Line tracks. There's a bridge at that point that needs to have its bearing pads replaced to eliminate the sag. You'll see the work in progress if you ride the Blue and Orange Lines this weekend, but it's probably not worth it. You'd be better off finding a way around Metro Center, even though the station will be open. The bridge is still safe, Metro says. (You can walk across the sagging part without realizing it. I had to stare down at...
By | February 15, 2008; 8:28 AM ET | Comments (18)
Metro Looking at New Message Boards
Metro is looking at a new system of big flat screen display panels to carry advertising, information and entertainment in the rail stations, on buses and at bus shelters. The video screens would supplement the electronic boards that display the times and car lengths of arriving trains, as well as some other information about delays and elevator problems. The contract with the company that puts advertising throughout the transit system expires in 2010, and Metro plans to seek proposals from companies interested in using the new technology for a contract that would run about 10 years. Metro could customize the displays for individual stations, and in an emergency could take over control of the boards to get more information to passengers, such as information about bus shuttles around problems. So far so good. But a Metro board committee this morning spent about 45 minutes on questions and comments about how...
By | February 14, 2008; 12:23 PM ET | Comments (243)
Three Plans for Better Bus Service
Metro is planning three improvements in its bus service that make a lot of sense. Metro Extra bus at a downtown stop. (Robert Thomson) -- Expand the service that links Union Station and the Navy Yard Station. The N22 line now shuttles commuters between Union Station, Eastern Market and the rapidly developing area around the Navy Yard near the Anacostia Waterfront. When the 41,000 seat Nationals Park opens at the end of March, there will be increased pressure on Metro to provide transportation for fans, and the Green Line can't do it all. The plan is to add night and weekend service on the N22, so fans can connect directly to the Red Line at Union Station or pick up the Blue and Orange Lines at Eastern Market. The buses would run every 10 minutes. -- Expand service on Georgia Avenue's Metro Extra. The route now provides rush period passengers...
By | February 14, 2008; 5:26 AM ET | Comments (8)
Perfectly Awful Conditions
This storm fit an unfortunate pattern: Just as rush hour is beginning, the forecast turns out to be slightly off, road conditions take a turn for the worse and the highway crews trying to treat the streets and highways are out in the same traffic as the rest of us. In early December, a similar pattern left many drivers stuck during the morning rush when the first light snow of the season landed. But that was small stuff compared the the regional shutdown that occurred in January 2000. Four-tenths of an inch of snow starting as the afternoon rush was beginning halted traffic for hours. The light snow -- not much but more than the flurries forecasters had predicted -- glazed the chilled roadways before many of the highway crews could get in position to treat them. Drivers talked about five-hour trips up 16th Street NW. Tuesday's afternoon glazing created...
By | February 13, 2008; 10:57 AM ET | Comments (24)
Creative Fixes for Bus Line
The Metrobus line with the highest ridership runs between Friendship Heights in upper northwest Washington and the District's far southeastern border, carrying about 20,000 riders a day. A stop on the 30s Line. (Metro photo) The routes along Wisconsin and Pennsylvania avenues that make up the 30s Line can be as long as 14 miles, and despite the high ridership, the buses are slow and the schedules unreliable. Metro has looked at this problem before, but no action resulted. The obvious solution was to break up the lengthy line into shorter routes, but that wasn't popular with people who depended on the bus to take them farther than the proposed cutoff for their segment. A better idea: Since June, Metro has been with the District Department of Transportation and with many of the people who actually ride the buses to reorganize the service. Planners held community meetings and listened to...
By | February 13, 2008; 10:30 AM ET | Comments (7)
Tools for the Morning Rush
It's getting better but still slick in spots. You may find your car encrusted in ice, but the rain and morning warming are helping. If you can do as many school districts are doing and start late, you'll probably be better off. Here's the National Weather Service forecast. If you must go, make sure the interior of the car has warmed up so the windows won't be coated in ice again before you get out of the neighborhood. Here's a link to our storm story. And this link takes you to the closings and delays page, which may provide some extra incentive for staying in. If you must go out, here's the traffic page, which has a map pinpointing accidents and slowdowns across the Washington region, as well as traffic cameras. There are numerous reports of traffic signals not working. The Weather Channel has a good list of tips from...
By | February 13, 2008; 6:00 AM ET | Comments (12)
More Newspaper Bins on Platforms
Metro says it has placed newspaper recycling bins on nine station platforms for the first time since the Sept. 11 attacks. I hope this helps with the cleanliness of the Metrorail cars as well as with the problem track fires. The Express and The Examiner, the popular publications given away at the station entrances, are too often left aboard the cars. (The Express is part of The Washington Post Co., as am I.) If you think you're doing other riders a favor by placing a copy on your seat as you depart, please reconsider. They can always get their own, and too often, the papers wind up ground into the carpet, where they are amazingly slippery under foot. Worse yet, papers can become part of the trash pile on the tracks. All too often, the trash ignites and train service comes to a halt until the fire can be extinguished....
By | February 12, 2008; 5:31 AM ET | Comments (18)
Blue Line Diversion Proposed
The transit authority is considering a plan to send some Blue Line trains across the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac, rather than through the Rosslyn tunnel, and will present its proposal to a Metro board committee this week. How the line's riders will react to the idea probably will depend on whether they work on the eastern or western sides of downtown Washington. If the board were to adopt the proposal -- something that would not occur for many months -- then fewer Blue Line trains would travel up from the Pentagon and through the Rosslyn tunnel to the stops at Foggy Bottom, Farragut West, Metro Center and Federal Triangle during the morning rush. (Or along the reverse path during the afternoon rush.) But for riders who board at Springfield to reach stations on the eastern side of downtown, such as L'Enfant Plaza or Gallery Place or the Navy...
By | February 11, 2008; 9:02 AM ET | Comments (91)
The Weekend and Beyond
Looks like a relatively quiet winter weekend around our region, with the exception of the Chinese New Year celebration in Washington's Chinatown. Here are some things that could effect your travels this weekend and later. Chinese New Year Celebration The New Year's festival will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday in the 600 block of H Street, which will be closed from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The parade starts at 2 p.m. in the 500 block of I (Eye) Street NW, which will be closed from noon to 3 p.m. Other streets along the parade route will be closed starting at 2 p.m. and reopened as the parade goes through. This is the route: West on I (Eye) Street, south on 7th, west on H, south on 8th, east on G, north on 7th, east on H and back to the festival area. Bus Detours Four Metrobus...
By | February 8, 2008; 8:45 AM ET | Comments (3)
Traffic As Economic Indicator?
Hi Dr. Gridlock: I have noticed a welcome but eerie phenomenon on my daily commute from Clifton to the Vienna Metro station. This started around the MLK holiday. First, the drive at 7:30 a.m. and 6:15 p.m. between my house and Vienna takes half the time (about 20 minutes vs. about 40 minutes) and there are so many empty parking spaces! Seen worse on 66, nearing Beltway. (Robert Thomson) Now the availability of parking spaces could be explained by the recent increase in cost, but the flowing traffic stumps me. At first, I figured a lot of people were on vacation the week of the MLK holiday but it did not stop there. I hope this is not due to the slowdown of the economy, because that would be a very scary indicator. Patricia P. Morris Indeed it would. And in years past, I have heard traffic reporters say that...
By | February 7, 2008; 5:16 AM ET | Comments (28)
Dulles Rail Not So Dead
Remember when the shaky finances behind the Wilson Bridge reconstruction seemed to have doomed that project? Similarly, the future of the Springfield Interchange reconstruction appeared to be in jeopardy several years ago because of surging costs. Now, it's the Metrorail-to-Dulles project called into question by opposition within the U.S. Department of Transportation. Since the feds practically demolished the project two weeks ago, I've received several letters like this from commuters. Hello, Dr. G: As a resident of Herndon, I don't have many choices for getting to Tysons or DC except to use the Dulles Toll Road. As you know, the folks running the Toll Road (Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority) increased my tolls a year or so ago to supposedly pay for the Metro line to Dulles Airport. So if the Dulles extension is dead, when do I get a refund for the extra tolls I've been paying? I'm asking somewhat...
By | February 6, 2008; 8:29 AM ET | Comments (52)
New Pattern on GW Parkway Bridge
Reconstruction of the George Washington Parkway's Humpback Bridge is entering a new phase that probably will have more of an impact on drivers. Humpback Bridge area on GW Parkway. (Federal Highway Administration) On the southbound side of the parkway, both lanes are shifting to the left just before the bridge. This is likely to cause traffic congestion, even during the peak periods, when all the lanes are open. At this early stage of the project, which began last month, the construction work includes installation of two cranes on each side of the Boundary Channel along the southbound parkway and removal of a power line from under the bridge. A temporary power line will be installed across the channel, and boats still can pass under the bridge. The Mount Vernon Trail stays open for walkers and bikers throughout the project. The Humpback Bridge, just northwest of the 14th Street Bridge and...
By | February 5, 2008; 10:20 AM ET | Comments (15)
DC Moves for Safer Sidewalks
This is good news for people who walk in Washington: D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty and Transportation Director Emeka Moneme announced this morning that the city has a new pedestrian safety standard that requires either covered walkways or protected open walkways at most construction sites. In general, the District policy says, traffic control plans at construction sites should replicate the existing pedestrian walkways as nearly as possible. You can see all the rules at this link on the District Department of Transportation Web site. Fenty and Moneme, joined by D.C. Council Member Jim Graham and Terry Lynch, a longtime advocate for people who live and work downtown, announced the new standard from underneath a covered walkway near 20th and L Streets NW. We need more such walkways and fewer streets where pedestrians confront signs that say, "Sidewalk Closed." Fenty began his remarks by noting that people often ask him why it's...
By | February 4, 2008; 11:21 AM ET | Comments (25)
The Weekend and Beyond
Here are some traffic and transit advisories that could affect your travels this weekend or afterward. Red Line Work Metro's project to replace the rail switch at Medical Center Station continues this weekend and has one more weekend to go. Add at least 30 minutes to your Red Line travel time between Friendship Heights and Grosvenor-Strathmore. The work hours each weekend are 9 p.m. Friday to midnight Sunday. You'll find a full list of weekend work projects on the Red, Blue, Green and Orange rail lines in this listing on Metro's Web site. Sober Bowl On Sunday, 90 million people will spend the evening watching the Super Bowl, but way too many of them will hit the road after over-indulging at television parties. Local law enforcement will be watching. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that nearly 50 percent of all traffic fatalities during the 2007 Super Bowl weekend...
By | February 1, 2008; 3:16 PM ET | Comments (2)
