News

Regional transportation news stories compiled by CommuterPage.com. Subscribe to a daily email with the most recent news, recent ACCS blog posts, and upcoming events. Every CommuterPage.com News email includes an "unsubscribe" link.

VDOT pitches I-495 express lanes expansion from Springfield to Maryland

Work to expand the I-495 Express Lanes to the north is only just warming up, but the Virginia Department of Transportation is now turning its attention to the southern end of the Capital Beltway. Read more...
David Taube, May 20, 2022, ALXnow

5K to close roads from Clarendon to Ballston, closures planned for three other events

It’s going to be a scorcher this weekend, but that’s not likely to stop a series of outdoor events planned in Arlington. Read more...
May 20, 2022, ARLnow

Five Orange Line Metro stations set to close for the summer

One week from Saturday five Orange Line Metro stations will close for the summer – New Carrollton, Landover, Cheverly, Deanwood, and Minnesota Avenue. Read more...
Tom Roussey, May 20, 2022, ABC7

Record gas prices for this long 'unprecedented': AAA

Gas prices have been hitting fresh records for the past 11 consecutive days amid the energy supply crunch in the U.S., according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), which noted that the stretch of record-high prices as the pump is "unprecedented." Read more...
Talia Kaplan, May 20, 2022, Fox5

WMATA will submit a revised service restoration plan to meet late summer return of 7000 series cars

A newly installed automated inspection system is not part of the authority’s WMSC-approved plan to return its fleet of 7000 series railcars to service. Read more...
Mischa Wanek-Libman, May 20, 2022, Mass Transit

Annapolis and Via launch on-demand public transit service as part of City Dock Project

Annapolis GO is part of Annapolis’ $40 million revitalization effort, reimagining of City Dock. Read more...
May 20, 2022, Mass Transit

What WMATA's new general manager should focus on

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority recently announced that Randy Clarke will become the agency’s next general manager. Read more...
Stephen Hudson, May 20, 2022, GGWash.org

Commuters in the region continue to choose gridlock

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted real estate markets and urban spaces in new and profound ways. Read more...
May 20, 2022, GGWash.org

County Manager proposes $3.9 Billion, 10-year Capital Improvement Plan

The proposal outlines $3.9 billion in investments for stormwater management and flood response, climate and environmental programs, parks, transportation, community infrastructure and more over the next 10 years. Read more...
May 18, 2022, Arlington, Virginia

Four Mile Run litter cleanup

The Four Mile Run Conservatory Foundation, EcoAction Arlington, and WUSA9 invite you to participate in a land-based litter clean-up at lower Four Mile Run. Read more...
May 20, 2022, eventbrite

Police participate in 2022 Spring Click It or Ticket campaign

Ahead of the start to the summer travel season and one of the busiest travel weekends of the year, law enforcement agencies are again partnering with the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to remind motorists to buckle up. Read more...
May 20, 2022, Arlington, Virginia

Opinion | Metro riders are unhappy — and they have every right to be

Washington, D.C.’s transit system published a performance report last week covering the first three quarters of its current fiscal year. The report features a tsunami of metrics, data and factoids, but here’s the bottom line: Bus and rail customers are unhappy, and they have every right to be. Read more...
May 19, 2022, Washington Post

Metro wins reinstatement of some suspended rail cars

The 7000 series makes up 60 percent of Metro’s fleet and has been out of service since an investigation uncovered a safety issue last year. Read more...
Justin George, May 19, 2022, Washington Post

Weekend Road and Rail: Beltway and I-66 stops, Metro Red Line shutdown

More stops are planned for the Capital Beltway and Interstate 66, the I-295/DC-295 Corridor Project, Purple Line work and paving in Maryland. Metro work is scheduled on five lines, with a Red Line shutdown. Read more...
Mary DePompa, May 20, 2022, WTOP

Our View: Expanding commuter bus service is a win for everyone

This week, the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors passed a matter allowing staff to begin exploring the feasibility of expanding commuter bus service to and from a number of locations. Read more...
May 19, 2022, Loudoun Times-Miror

Ride On could cost $1 per ride beginning in July

County Council switches from earlier position during budget deliberations that bus service would remain free. Read more...
Steve Bohnel, May 19, 2022, Bethesda Magazine

Police: Dozens of cars stolen or stripped of airbags over the past three weeks

Arlington is in the midst of a rash of vehicle-related crimes. Read more...
May 19, 2022, ARLnow

Vienna cements deal on new sidewalk project

Sidewalk projects funded by the Maud Ferris Robinson Charitable Trust continue to advance and a section of Charles Street, S.E., will be the next to benefit. Read more...
Brian Trompeter, May 18, 2022, Inside NoVa

Route 28 bypass design underway

At its latest “Transportation Tuesday” event held this week, Prince William transportation officials offered updates on the two ongoing projects around Route 28: the planned Route 28 bypass and Fairfax County’s widening of 28 from four to six lanes. Read more...
Jared Foretek, May 19, 2022, Inside NoVa

Metro plans to close Yellow Line bridge trains for up to 8 months. Here's what to expect

Metro has yet to release its plan for the closing of the Yellow Line bridge over the Potomac from fall to next spring. Read more...
Tom Roussey, May 19, 2022, ABC7

DC area commuters shift gears for National Bike to Work Day

Thousands around the country, and the DMV, will be hopping on their bikes Friday morning and ditching their car for National Bike to Work Day. Read more...
Kristen Powers, May 20, 2022, ABC7

After two-year hiatus, Penagon reopens for tours

The Pentagon has opened again for tours, more than two years after it last offered them. Read more...
Eun Yang, May 19, 2022, NBC Washington

Metro says 7000-series railcars to return this summer

Part of Metro's plan to bring the cars back to service includes training for Metro staff so they can inspect and maintain them. Read more...
Gina Cook, May 19, 2022, NBC Washington

National Park Services wants to get rid of encampents by Union Station

The National Park Service says no-camping enforcement is needed to address public health and safety issues at the site. Read more...
John Henry, May 19, 2022, WUSA9

Piscataway Tribe reacts after learning Indian Head Highway has not been renamed

The Piscataway Conoy Tribe says they feel "bamboozled and defeated" after learning Indian Head Highway will not officially be renamed Piscataway Highway. Read more...
May 19, 2022, Fox5

Study: Pollution responsible for 9 million deaths worldwide in 2019

Air, chemical and water pollution accounted for one in six deaths worldwide, with little progress on tackling the public health crisis in four years. Read more...
May 19, 2022, Mass Transit

FRA report examines Amtrak intercity service

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently published a report on performance metrics during the first quarter of fiscal year 2022 for Amtrak’s intercity passenger train operations. Read more...
Melina Druga, May 19, 2022, Transporation Today

Police warn aginst leaving keys inside vehicles

The Arlington County Police Department is sharing ways motorists can help protect their property as reports of vehicle thefts increase in the County. Read more...
May 19, 2022, Arlington, Va.

Virginia Breeze bus route shows early success

A new daily bus service between Bristol and Washington, D.C., continues to exceed ridership projections after only a few months of operation. Read more...
David McGee, May 18, 2022, Bristol Herald Coouier

Mobility leaders seek to 'unburden' people from private cars

Over 50 public, private and nonprofit organizations have teamed up to announce a major initiative that supports shared mobility options as the preferred transportation choice over private cars. Read more...
Cailin Crowe, May 17, 2022, , Smart Cities Dive

Town Talker: Paul Wiedefeld leaves Metro with broken trust

The Paul Wiedefeld era has ended in a sputter, without any of the optimism once inspired by initiatives such as Back2Good and the Rush Hour Promise. Read more...
Coneyt Dil, May 18, 2022, Axios

Dulles Toll Road users could see rate increase to pay for Silver Line

Proposal under consideration could push tolls to $6 starting in January. Read more...
Lori Aratani, May 18, 2022, Washington Post

Cars still rule daily commute in DC area, but study shows some signs of growth for public transit

Elected leaders throughout the D.C. area have tried mightily to get commuters out of their cars and onto public transportation. But a new study of transportation in the D.C. region has found that when it comes to the daily commute, the car remains king. Read more...
Dick Uliano, May 19, 2022, WTOP

City of Alexandria lays out Metro replacement plans for fall shutdown

To those grumbling about the sudden Yellow Line delays because of the lapsed certifications: hold onto your butts, it’s going to get worse this fall. Read more...
Vernon Miles, May 18, 2022, ALXnow

Four Mile Run Dredging Project will detour park trail for up to six months

Alexandria and Arlington will start clearing debris and dredging Four Mile Run in September, and the project will close sections of the park from the public for four to six months. Read more...
James Cullum, May 18, 2022, ALXnow

Four more local businesses coming to Amazon's HQ2

HQ2 will be home to Arlington’s second Conte’s Bike Shop, a South Block, the second location of Vienna-based Social Burger and the first brick-and-mortar location of HUSTLE — a high intensity cycling workout business. Read more...
Brandi Botttalico, May 18, 2022, ARLnow

Changes, construction coming to bridge in Fairlington

At least one lane of vehicle and bike traffic will be maintained in each direction during construction, VDOT says. Read more...
May 18, 2022, ARLnow

DC begins major infrasructure projects

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined a top member of President Joe Biden's administration on Wednesday to highlight how D.C. will spend hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure money from the federal government. Read more...
Mark Segraves, May 18, 2022, NBC Washington

Maryland Route 210 not changing to Piscataway Highway under current legislation

Legislators who were expecting the name of Route 210 in Maryland to change from Indian Head Highway to Piscataway Highway are learning that's not going to happen. Read more...
Tracee Wilkins, May 18, 2022, NBC Washington

National Airport getting new terminal and gate numbering

Reagan National Airport is about to go through a massive rebranding. Read more...
Adam Tuss, May 18, 2022, NBC Washington

'Ride of Silence' | DC cyclists, pedestrians want safety improvements now

Traffic data shows D.C. was more dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists in 2021 compared to when Mayor Muriel Bowser launched the Vision Zero initiative in 2015. Read more...
John Henry, May 19, 2022, WUSA9

WMSC directs WMATA to address improper power restoration practices

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has been directed to revise its practices surrounding power restoration when work crews are present after the Washington Metrorail Safety Commission (WMSC) determined “Metrorail is continuing to put its personnel at risk of serious injury or death by repeatedly bypassing safety redundancies in power restoration procedures.” Read more...
Mischa Wanek-Libman, May 18, 2022, Mass Transit

An interstate across America – for everyone besides drivers, that is – would pay for itself in no time

A continuous cross-continental active transportation trail would pay for itself in less than five years in visitor spending alone, a new analysis argues — and it could have a big impact on the car-free transportation landscape in the communities it runs through, too. Read more...
Kea Wilson, May 19, 2022, Streetsblog USA

"Safety first"? Time for WMATA to put riders first

From the outside, it’s not always obvious who does what at Metro. But a few roles are clear. Read more...
Caitlin Rogger, May 18, 2022, GGWash.org

Biden, Buttigieg announce $1B in grants for Safe Streets Program

On Monday, President Joe Biden and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that applications are being accepted for $1 billion in funding for projects that address street and roadway safety. Read more...
Liz Carey, May 18, 2022, Transportation Today

Planned Arlington road closures for weekend of May 21-22

The Arlington County Police Department will conduct road closures to accommodate four upcoming events taking place during the weekend of Saturday, May 21 – Sunday, May 22, 2022. Read more...
May 18, 2022, Arlington, Virginia

Despite uproar, Arlington OKs plan for ART-bus storage

The May 14 County Board vote to allow Arlington Transit (ART) buses to be stored on a large lot across the 1400 block of North Quincy Street from the Washington-Liberty High School campus should “serve as a warning to other Arlington neighborhoods to what happens when [the county government] buys property in your neighborhood and becomes your neighbor,” said Dawn Cooper, one of a number of residents of the Ballston-Virginia Square community incensed by both the board’s vote and, they believe, the lack of public participation that preceded it. Read more...
Scott McCaffrey, May 18, 2022, Sun Gazette

Trucker convoy returns to D.C. region. Here's what you need to know.

A group of truckers calling itself the “People’s Convoy,” which protested vaccine mandates and aired other right-wing grievances by driving around the Washington region in March, returned to the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland on Tuesday. Read more...
Ellie Silverman, May 17, 2022, Washington Post

Metro faces new safety order on first day under new leadership

A day after Metro’s top two leaders stepped down after about half of its train operators were found to lack necessary recertifications, the transit agency began navigating fresh safety challenges Tuesday under an interim general manager while continuing to field criticism over management practices. Read more...
Justin George, May 17, 2022, Washington Post

Full speed ahead: Bike to Work Day 2022

Bike to Work Day (BTWD) is rolling full speed ahead, as a regained sense of community, free T-shirts, and a chance to win a free bicycle will attract thousands of commuters to participate in the regional event on Friday, May 20. Read more...
May 16, 2022, WTOP