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  #261  
Old Posted Aug 29, 2011, 3:03 PM
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Fairfax seeks commuter parking for rail users in Tysons Corner (Washington Post)

Fairfax seeks commuter parking for rail users in Tysons Corner


(Richard A. Lipski/WASHINGTON POST) - Construction in Tysons Corner.

By Kafia A. Hosh
August 25, 2011
Washington Post

"A portion of Tysons Corner’s massive parking supply — there are 167,000 spaces — could be used as commuter parking when four Metrorail stations open there in 2013.

None of the stations will have parking, supporting Fairfax County’s long-term goal for the employment center to redevelop into a mixed-use downtown.

But that transformation will take 20 to 40 years, officials said. Until then, residents of McLean and Vienna will need a way to access the stations, said Supervisor John W. Foust (D-Dranesville), whose district includes McLean..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...veJ_story.html
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  #262  
Old Posted Aug 31, 2011, 5:41 PM
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Planners move closer to deal on financing second phase of Metro line to Dulles

By Dana Hedgpeth, Published: August 30
Quote:
Stakeholders involved in planning the Metro system’s rail line to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County said Tuesday that they are closer to an agreement on how to build and finance the second phase of the multibillion-dollar project.

The working group of about a dozen representatives from the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, Metro, Fairfax and Loudoun counties, and the Virginia Department of Transportation met with U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood at his headquarters for an hour to discuss details of the second phase of the rail line that will stretch from Reston Town Center to Dulles Airport and Ashburn.

Representatives declined to discuss specifics about the meeting. They would say only that progress had been made.

In July, LaHood and stakeholders agreed upon a framework for development. The deal was designed to trim hundreds of millions of dollars from the $3.5 billion cost of the second phase.

For LaHood’s compromise to work, it will take support and money from the local, state and federal investors. Loudoun and Fairfax counties have agreed in principle to help pay for a rail station and parking garages to support the project. At this point, the group is hammering out details of the agreement.

The counties and the airports authority want federal funds, and the project is looking for the state of Virginia to put up money for the rail line. The project cleared a major hump when the airports authority reversed course this summer and supported a less expensive aboveground station for Dulles after months of debate.
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  #263  
Old Posted Sep 1, 2011, 2:45 AM
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I understand heavy rail isn't cheap but I'm shocked at the cost of Phase II. This is mostly going to be built in the median of the Dulles Toll Road, which the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority owns, so this requires no land acquisition. I thought this was going to be most at-grade, as the Dulles Toll Road is pancake-flat, but someone on Greater Greater Washington noted that there are actually going to be significant arial sections on the second phase. Finally, I think all of the stations are going to be above ground, which should also limit the cost.

Although it would jeopardize funding with Loudoun County, MWAA should end this at Dulles airport and not continue past the airport to Ashburn. This project could probably save a half-billion dollars by not continuing past the airport to serve the largely low-density suburban town centers in Ashburn.
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  #264  
Old Posted Sep 6, 2011, 8:46 PM
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Capital Bikeshare coming to Mall (Washington Post)

Capital Bikeshare coming to Mall

By Tim Craig
September 6, 2011
Washington Post

"The National Park Service, acknowledging that getting around the District isn’t like it used to be, is preparing to allow Capital Bikeshare stations on the Mall.

The planned additions to the Mall, which have been under consideration for weeks, would close a major gap in the burgeoning, regional network of red bikes and could push more tourists onto two wheels.

Although the District and Arlington have reported growing interest in cycling as they have opened 116 sharing stations over the past year, neither jurisdiction has been allowed to launch stations on National Park Service property accessible to the public, including the Mall and Anacostia Park..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...66J_story.html
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  #265  
Old Posted Sep 9, 2011, 9:34 PM
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*sigh* This is the entrance I use every day. Considering DC's god awful hot humid summers, I'm not looking forward to the extra walking distance between my apartment and the north entrance/exit, not to mention the annoying crowding that will occur. Grrr...

Dupont Circle Metro station entrance could be closed for a year

Quote:
The south entrance of the Dupont Circle Metro station could be closed for a year as three escalators are torn out and replaced with new ones.

Metro has not closed an entrance of a station for that long for escalator work in recent memory. Crews will work days, nights and weekends to try to speed the work at the 19th Street NW entrance, but officials said it could take a year.

Last edited by OhioGuy; Sep 9, 2011 at 10:08 PM.
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  #266  
Old Posted Sep 10, 2011, 2:21 AM
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WTF? Close one escalator at a time, and run the other two in opposing directions. Or close two at a time and run the remaining one in peak direction (down in the morning, up in the afternoon). If the process is gonna take a year even with all three closed, then there's no real advantage to doing a full closure.

Refresh my memory: does the south entrance to Dupont have a glass canopy yet?
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  #267  
Old Posted Sep 12, 2011, 4:05 PM
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In bicycle friendly D.C., going car-free is increasingly common (Washington Post)

In bicycle friendly D.C., going car-free is increasingly common

By Ashley Halsey III and Jon Cohen
September 11, 2011
Washington Post

“When Robert George moved to Washington several years ago, he said goodbye to his car before he left Texas.

“I sold it before I got here,” said George, who abandoned Houston for Adams Morgan. “This is an urban environment not as geared to driving everywhere and parking.”

Houston is a bit urban, too, but it sprawls across 8,778 square miles, compared with the District’s 68.3 square miles. And in Texas, the car is king. The District and its immediate suburbs are crisscrossed by subway and bus lines, downtown swarms with taxis, and the expanding network of bike lanes has increased the popularity of cycling.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...7KK_story.html
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  #268  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2011, 3:22 PM
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Speed up Bethesda Metro station’s 2nd entrance & new elevators, transit group urges

Speed up Bethesda Metro station’s 2nd entrance and new elevators, transit group urges

By Dana Hedgpeth
September 14, 2011
Washington Post

"A transit advocacy group in Montgomery County wants a second entrance installed sooner than scheduled at the Bethesda Metro station because it worries that there will be hiccups in plans to install new escalators at the current one, causing severe crowding and long lines.

The new Elm Street entrance, accessed via elevators, would take riders to the Purple Line, a proposed light-rail connection between Bethesda and New Carrollton, and Metro’s Red Line.

Metro plans to tear out the old, balky escalators at the station’s north entrance and put in three new ones. But that work won’t start until 2014..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...mSK_story.html
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  #269  
Old Posted Sep 15, 2011, 3:24 PM
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Proposed Silver Spring stop for the Purple Line raises residents’ eyebrows

The project's estimated cost cited in this article should be $1.9 billion, not $1.9 million.


Proposed Silver Spring stop for the Purple Line raises residents’ eyebrows
Community concerned about maintenance yard’s new location, neighborhood impacts

by Andrew Ujifusa
Montgomery Gazette
9/14/2011

"Silver Spring residents got a preview Tuesday of a future Purple Line light rail station, and were skeptical about what they saw.

The Lyttonsville station stop of the rail line, which will link Bethesda and New Carrollton with connections to Metro, MARC and Amtrak trains, is one of two confirmed stations with a maintenance shop and holding tracks. Operating 24 hours daily, the shop and tracks will house about half of the 55 Purple Line’s fleet while routine and non-routine maintenance and repairs are performed.

The 20-stop Purple Line, a project of the Maryland Transit Administration, is intended to ease east-west traffic congestion in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, which both support the project. Over the objections of those supporting bus rapid transit and other options, Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) in 2009 approved the alignment of the light rail that will also serve downtown Silver Spring, Takoma/Langley and the University of Maryland, College Park..."

http://www.gazette.net/article/20110...mplate=gazette
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  #270  
Old Posted Sep 23, 2011, 8:55 PM
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The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has posted dozens of excellent photos of the first anniversary celebration of Capital Bikeshare, held yesterday evening at the Yards park.

Cabi's 1st Birthday Bash!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ddotpho...7627611472041/
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  #271  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2011, 9:01 PM
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This is from an email press release sent by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). Our neighborhood is getting a new Circulator stop. It's only a few hundred feet away from the stop in front of the Safeway on Wisconsin Avenue but it should help the mobility-impaired, as well as making commuting easier in inclement weather.


DDOT to Implement Changes to Existing Circulator Service

Changes Take Effect October 3, 2011

(Washington, D.C.) The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is set to implement several changes to the existing Circulator service beginning on October 3, 2011. These changes were based on community input and ridership numbers and are aimed at improving the operation of the system to provide a better level of service.

Earlier this year DDOT completed a comprehensive Transit Development Plan to guide the growth of the Circulator system over the next 10-years. Following the release of the plan, several public meetings were held to discuss the proposed changes outlined below.

On Monday, DDOT will implement the following routing and stop changes:

Suspension of Convention Center-SW Waterfront Route

Due to low ridership, suspension of the Convention Center-SW Waterfront route is effective September 30, 2011 at 9 pm. New Metrobus Route 74 service began serving this corridor between the SW Waterfront and Gallery Place on Sunday, September 25. Please visit www.wmata.com or call (202) 637-7000 for more details on this new Metrobus service.

Reroute of Union Station-Navy Yard near Union Station

Many riders have been asking for a more direct connection from the Navy Yard route to Union Station. Beginning on October 3, 2011, buses will no longer travel west on Constitution Avenue and north on Louisiana Avenue to reach Union Station. Buses will instead stop adjacent to Union Station on Columbus Circle at the flag poles before turning right on F Street, NE and right on 2nd Street, NE to Constitution Avenue. The route will no longer serve the Union Station garage level and the stops located at Louisiana and D Streets, NE will no longer be served.

Bus Stop Consolidations

Several closely spaced Circulator stops will be combined or eliminated along the Georgetown-Union Station and Dupont-Georgetown-Rosslyn routes. While this may require an extra walk of one or two blocks, reducing the number of closely spaced stops will speed buses along the route and help us maintain our reliable 10-minute headways to get you where you want to go faster. Circulator is adding one stop at the request of the nearby community, at the very end of the Georgetown-Union Station route, where it turns around on 35th Street, NW.



Eliminated stops

• Wisconsin & P St, NW (eastbound)
• Wisconsin & P St, NW (westbound)
• Wisconsin & N St, NW (westbound)
• M & 31st, NW (eastbound)

Combined stops

• Stops at 18th, 19th, and 20th Streets along K Street, NW will be consolidated into one stop at K Street & 19th Street, NW (westbound toward Georgetown)
• Stops at 18th and 19th Streets on K Street, NW will be consolidated into one stop at K Street & 19th Street, NW (eastbound toward Union Station)

Added stop

• 35th Street & Wisconsin Avenue, NW

New Circulator-ART Transfers with SmarTrip Card

Riders transferring from Arlington Transit (ART) buses to the Circulator will now receive a free transfer when paying with their SmarTrip cards. Those transferring the other direction—from Circulator to ART—will pay just 50¢.

New Route
The Circulator will add a new route on October 3 with service east of the Anacostia River. The route will run from the Potomac Avenue Metrorail Station to Skyland via Barracks Row. Specific route information will be released in the coming days.
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  #272  
Old Posted Sep 29, 2011, 3:39 PM
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Arlington, Fairfax bringing streetcars back to life (Washington Post)

The Arlington-Fairfax County streetcar proposal sounds like a great project. If this is built in 2016, we'll have the Silver line to Tysons, the H Street streetcar, and this route (and hopefully work will be underway for the Purple line). Virginia has a $550M budget surplus. A loan to ARL/FFX Counties to help finance this infrastructure investment, paid back by development fees assessed on properties along the route would be an excellent way to create good jobs when they're desperately needed now and to help improve mobility in Northern Virginia.

Arlington, Fairfax bringing streetcars back to life

By Tom Jackman
Washington Post
9/29/2011


A rendering of how streetcars would look on Columbia Pike, at the intersection of South Walter Reed Drive near the Arlington Cinema and Drafthouse. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

"Columbia Pike has always been a key east-west corridor through Northern Virginia, starting in Annandale and ending at the Pentagon in Arlington. But traffic on “The Pike” is regularly difficult, and some stretches were not seen as, uh, aesthetically pleasing.

That’s all changing, and faster than you might think. Arlington has been methodically and impressively redeveloping The Pike, without displacing families.

And for traffic they are leading the charge back to the future: streetcars...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...kV5K_blog.html
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  #273  
Old Posted Oct 1, 2011, 12:14 PM
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In Langley Park, Purple Line brings promise, and fears, of change

In Langley Park, Purple Line brings promise, and fears, of change


By Luz Lazo
September 30, 2011
Washington Post

"School hasn’t been dismissed for long, but the small playground on 15th Avenue in Langley Park is already crowded. Young kids have taken over the swings, and a game of futbol is underway at the mini soccer field nearby.


Image courtesy of the Washington Post.

Outside the aging apartment buildings, neighbors are hanging out with neighbors, and the sound of Spanish music is in the air.

It’s a typical afternoon in Langley Park, a small community in northwestern Prince George’s County that over the years has gained a reputation as a hub of gang activity and violence..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...mAL_story.html
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  #274  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2011, 1:38 PM
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Wary eyes on Dulles rail project’s bottom line (Washington Post)

Wary eyes on Dulles rail project’s bottom line

By Dana Hedgpeth
October 1, 2011
Washington Post


The first phase of the Dulles rail project — extending Metrorail service to Dulles Airport and Loudoun County — is scheduled for completion in December 2013. An important part of the project is underway in the Tysons Corner area. Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) and Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D) are among those who have visited Tysons Corner recently to check on the progress. (Image courtesy of the Washington Post)

"The Metrorail extension through Tysons Corner has burned through more than 70 percent of its contingency fund. With two years of construction remaining, the jurisdictions paying for the line — and Dulles Toll Road drivers — could be on the hook for millions in possible cost overruns, transportation experts say.

The project, the first phase of Metrorail’s extension to Dulles International Airport and Loudoun County, began with $312.3 million allotted for unforeseen expenses two years ago. As of June, that fund had dwindled to $89.7 million.

That shrinkage feeds doubts about whether managers will be able to finish the project on time and on budget..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...PDL_story.html
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  #275  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2011, 3:02 PM
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As much as I hate to say it, FTA needs to hold local authorities responsible for cost overruns. Currently the FTA requires a substantial contingency fund, but they also help pay for that fund. Making local governments responsible would hold their feet to the fire and bring these ridiculous costs down.

Buy America is another ridiculous rule... if American firms are really as great as the Buy America boosters claim, then they shouldn't need this absurd handicap.
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  #276  
Old Posted Oct 2, 2011, 4:01 PM
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Lightbulb

Quote:
Originally Posted by ardecila View Post
As much as I hate to say it, FTA needs to hold local authorities responsible for cost overruns. Currently the FTA requires a substantial contingency fund, but they also help pay for that fund. Making local governments responsible would hold their feet to the fire and bring these ridiculous costs down.

Buy America is another ridiculous rule... if American firms are really as great as the Buy America boosters claim, then they shouldn't need this absurd handicap.
I would like to add that since the transit agencies borrow enough to cover these contingency funds, they always end up spending it on this or another project. Buying more than the minimal number of vehicles for the previously negotiated "option" is most likely. Also, spending the contingency to study and plan the next project is likely as well. Using the remaining contingency money to pay back the bonds early is not often done. It's hard to not spend extra money once you have it in your hands.
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  #277  
Old Posted Oct 8, 2011, 11:54 AM
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Plans for Purple Line move forward in Maryland (Washington Post)

Plans for Purple Line move forward in Maryland

By Ovetta Wiggins
Washington Post
10/7/2011

"The federal government approved Maryland’s proposed Purple Line for detailed engineering Friday, moving the 16-mile light-rail line a significant step forward in its decades-long trek toward construction.

The action by the Federal Transit Administration means the state can fine-tune cost estimates and construction schedules and complete environmental studies, officials said.

“We’ve done a lot of work so far, but it’s all been conceptual,” said Henry Kay, who oversees projects for the Maryland Transit Administration. “This allows us to hone in on how the project will be built...”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...3TL_story.html
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  #278  
Old Posted Oct 12, 2011, 6:25 PM
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Greater Greater Washington notes the Alexandria City Council has voted to join the hugely successful Capital Bikeshare system. Initially, there will be six stations, with this sure to expand.

Alexandria joins Capital Bikeshare
http://greatergreaterwashington.org/...tal-bikeshare/
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  #279  
Old Posted Oct 18, 2011, 3:10 PM
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Md. to re-examine Silver Spring railyard for Purple Line (Washington Examiner)

Md. to re-examine Silver Spring railyard for Purple Line


By: Rachel Baye
10/13/11 Washington Examiner


Image courtesy of the Washington Examiner.

"Maryland planners are taking another look at designs for the proposed Purple Line rail yard in Lyttonsville after residents voiced concerns that the light rail facility would uproot businesses and disrupt their small neighborhood just west of downtown Silver Spring.

The facility will be one of two rail yards and maintenance facilities for the Purple Line, the 16-mile light rail planned to connect New Carrollton to Bethesda. The other will be in Glenridge, near New Carrollton, said Purple Line Project Manager Mike Madden..."

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/...rd-purple-line
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  #280  
Old Posted Oct 27, 2011, 5:37 PM
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Md. commission proposes 15-cent increase in gas tax (Washington Post)

If enacted, this would provide a very good source of revenue for the construction of the Purple line, as well as the Red line in Baltimore.

Md. commission proposes 15-cent increase in gas tax

By Aaron C. Davis
October 25, 2011
Washington Post

"Maryland would raise its tax on gasoline 15 cents per gallon — to one of the highest rates in the nation — and would boost fees on every bus and rail passenger under a plan endorsed Tuesday by a commission created by the General Assembly and Gov. Martin O’Malley (D).

The taxes and fees would have Maryland households paying hundreds of dollars more a year to prop up a transportation trust fund that is failing to keep pace with billions in unfunded projects..."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/...9GM_story.html
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