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.

Adding toll lanes to Maryland Beltway, I-270 could require government funds, study finds

Adding toll lanes to Interstate 270 and most of the Capital Beltway in Maryland could require a government subsidy of $482 million to $1 billion even as state officials have said the highway expansion would come at “no net cost” to taxpayers, according to a study of the proposal released Friday. Read more...
Katherine Shaver, July 10, 2020, Washington Post

America's 3,000 bus companies make appeal for economic relief amid pandemic

The pandemic has been a blow to the entire transportation industry, but the motor coach sector has been hit especially hard. Read more...
Luz Lazo, July 11, 2020, Washington Post

Three people hospitalized after a shooting on Hyattsville park trail

An altercation between two groups of people on the Northwest Branch Trail in Hyattsville ended in gunfire that sent three people to the hospital. Read more...
Kevin Kenney, July 11, 2020, WUSA9

Man in critical condition after shooting at Metro's Mount Vernon Square Station

A man is in critical condition after being shot while on a Metrorail train as it pulled into the Mount Vernon Square Station in D.C. Saturday afternoon. Read more...
Dan Friedell, July 11, 2020, WTOP

Adams Morgan streatery will no longer be closed to traffic

After what appeared to be a popular pilot program in late June, the Adams Morgan streatery will not close to traffic again through the course of the pandemic. Read more...
Colleen Grablick, July 10, 2020, dcist

Md. publishes 18,000-page environmental impact assessment of proposed I-270, I-495 expansion

The state of Maryland has released its long-awaited draft environmental impact assessment for the Hogan administration’s controversial Beltway expansion project. Read more...
Margaret Barthel, July 10, 2020, dcist

Weekend Metro schedule: buses replace trains, more rail work

If you are taking the Metro this weekend, here's what to expect. Read more...
Alessia Grunberger, July 10, 2020, Takoma Park Patch

Purple Line dispute continues on whether contractors can leave job in late August

Tensions are heightening in the dispute between Purple Line contractors and Maryland officials over whether the contractors can leave the job. Read more...
Briana Adhikusuma, July 10, 2020, Bethesda Magazine

Former Redskins player pleads guilty to defrauding Metro

A former NFL player who played in Washington during the early 1980s has pleaded guilty to defrauding Metro of more than $300,000. Read more...
Rick Massimo, July 10, 2020, WTOP

Four Arlington transportation projects to receive regional funding

Four major transportation projects in Arlington will receive tens of millions in regional funding, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority announced today. Read more...
July 10, 2020, ARLnow

CommuterDirect.com will stop offering the sale of Step Up tickets at 2:00pm on Friday, July 10th

As Amtrak continues to ramp up service following the COVID-19 adjustments, they are working to manage social distancing onboard their trains just as VRE is doing. Amtrak can limit the number of passengers by reducing the number of seat bookings permitted on each train. Since VRE passengers utilizing the Amtrak Step-Up trains are not pre-booked, the Step-Up program is being temporarily suspended.
July 10, 2020, CommuterDirect.com

Amtrak will not accept step-up tickets from VRE riders, effective July 13

Amtrak can limit the number of passengers by reducing the number of seat bookings permitted on each train.  Since VRE passengers utilizing the Amtrak Step-up trains are not pre-booked, the Step-Up program is being temporarily suspended. Read more...
July 10, 2020, VRE

States are deferring billions of dollars of transportation projects

Leaders of state transportation departments across the nation say the coronavirus pandemic has left them facing an estimated $50 billion shortfall in funding needed to repave rutted and pockmarked roads, maintain bridges and otherwise prop up already shaky infrastructure. Read more...
Ian Duncan, July 10, 2020, Washington Post

Commuters confident slug lines will make a comeback

Slug lines were bare in mid-March during the coronavirus pandemic. As things slowly start to reopen, some commuters are also returning to slugging. Read more...
Marcella Robertson, July 10, 2020, WUSA9

Metro board to consider making bus rides free for low-income residents

The Metro board on Thursday asked its staff to look into proposals for free or reduced-fare travel for low-income Metrobus riders, adding momentum to initiatives by D.C. officials to provide residents with free transit. Read more...
Justin George, July 9, 2020, Washington Post

Pandemic sends demand skyrocketing at Old Town bike store

While businesses across Alexandria have been struggling to pull out of the pandemic, the last few months have been an unusual windfall for Old Town waterfront business Big Wheel Bikes (2 Prince Street). Read more...
Vernon Miles, July 9, 2020, ALX Now

Plan for complete street changes includes lane removals in Dominion Hills, Potomac Yard

The final plans are in for a trio of road projects in Arlington, and two out of three involve the removal of travel lanes. Read more...
July 9, 2020, ARLnow

PRTC looks to replace service provider

The Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission is expected to approve a new service provider contract Thursday night, leaving a 17-year arrangement with First Transit for Virginia Railway Express operator Keolis Transit. Read more...
Jared Foretek, July 9, 2020, Inside NoVa

Dumfries receives $78M for U.S. 1 widening

A $130 million project to reshape U.S. 1 through Dumfries received the key funding Thursday night to move the project forward. Read more...
Emily Sides, July 9, 2020, Inside NoVa

D.C. will add quick-build bus lanes as part of its COVID-19 response

Buses and cyclists will soon have a little more room to traverse the streets as the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced plans today to establish three dedicated lanes throughout DC, with construction starting late July. Read more...
Caitlin Rogger, July 9, 2020, GGWash

Federal workers are returning to the office. Some members of Congress say they shouldn't be.

With the number of coronavirus cases increasing across much of the country, leading members of Congress on civil service issues are challenging orders by federal agencies for teleworking federal employees to return to their regular worksites. Read more...
Eric Yoder, July 9, 2020, Washington Post

Northam signs hands-free cell phone bill for drivers

Virginia will join the rest of the Washington region in banning handheld cell phone use while driving starting in January. Read more...
Jordan Pascale, July 8, 2020, WAMU

Metro agrees to solar power deal worth $50 million

Metro has sold 13 football fields’ worth of space at its parking lots and garages in the District and Prince George’s County for a solar power project worth up to $50 million over 25 years, the transit agency said Wednesday. Read more...
Justin George, July 8, 2020, Washington Post

Could outdoor 'streeterys' become a permanent fixture across the DMV?

Outdoor "streeterys" are becoming increasingly popular across the DMV as restaurants continue to reopen. Read more...
Nicole DiAntonio, July 8, 2020, WUSA9

New flyover ramp from I-66 East to Route 28 North opens

The first new exit ramp and bridge has opened at the under-construction Interstate 66 and Virginia Route 28 interchange in Fairfax County. Read more...
Neal Augenstein, July 8, 2020, WTOP

Red Line train derails after operator overruns red signal, Metro safety commission says

A Metro Red Line train derailed in Silver Spring on Tuesday, after the operator ran a red light signal, the agency responsible for safety oversight of Metrorail said. No one was injured in the mishap in which two cars left the tracks. Read more...
July 7, 2020, Washington Post

Did a Prince George's detective have just cause to break a cyclist's jaw?

Lawyers for a Prince George's County man are seeking witnesses or surveillance video after an encounter with an undercover police officer left 30-year-old Dioni Martinez with a badly broken jaw. Read more...
Bruce Leshan, July 7, 2020, WUSA9

Md. gets $45k to stop drug-impaired driving

The Maryland Department of Transportation’s Motor Vehicle Association (MDOT MVA) has been awarded a grant aimed at reducing drug-impaired driving in the state. Read more...
Zeke Hartner, July 7, 2020, WTOP

How the pandemic might be changing people's perceptions about bike rides

A D.C. bicycling advocacy group wants to know how the coronavirus pandemic has changed the role that bikes play in people’s lives. Read more...
Kristi King, July 7, 2020, WTOP

Capital Bikeshare e-bikes return as region promotes cycling amid pandemic

Capital Bikeshare’s popular e-bikes will return to the Washington region’s streets Wednesday, more than a year after the pedal-assist vehicles were pulled due to reports of malfunctioning brakes. Read more...
Luz Lazo, July 7, 2020, Washington Post

Lawmaker wants to boost building high-rises at Montgomery County Metro stations

A Montgomery County, Maryland, lawmaker believes that high-rise buildings near Metrorail stations could be the answer to the housing needs in the county. Read more...
Mike Murillo, July 6, 2020, WTOP

Metro is inquiring about plans for returning to work

Metro is on a fact-finding mission so it can develop plans for increasing levels of rail and bus service as the D.C. region gradually reopens. Read more...
Kristi King, July 6, 2020, WTOP

TSA: July 4 weekend air travel down 70 percent compared to last year

U.S. air travel over the July Fourth weekend dropped significantly this year over last year as Americans remain wary of mass transit amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Read more...
John Bowden, July 6, 2020, The Hill

14th Street Bridge clear after protesters block traffic in D.C.

Outbound traffic on the 14th Street Bridge in the District was blocked by protesters Monday afternoon, police said. Read more...
Justin Wm. Moyer, July 6, 2020, Washington Post

Appalacian Trail bridge near Harpers Ferry reopens

The footbridge that carries Appalachian Trail hikers across the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, is now reopened six months after a train derailment damaged it. Read more...
Jordan Pascale, July 6, 2020, WAMU

USDOT announces $3M campaign against child vehicular heatstroke

U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao announced Wednesday that the U.S. Department of Transportation would launch a $3 million public safety campaign to reduce the number of child vehicular heatstroke deaths in America. Read more...
Liz Carey, July 6, 2020, Transportation Today

Va. offering social distancing drivers license tests for adults

Count hopeful drivers as yet another group having to make odd adjustments to life in the world of a pandemic. Read more...
Scott Shenk, July 5, 2020, fredericksburg.com

No federal mandates for masks on planes or empty middle seats

The Trump administration is urging airlines to leave some airplane seats empty to help protect travelers and crew members from the coronavirus but it is stopping short of requiring airlines to keep seats open to create physical distancing on flights. Read more...
David Schaper, July 2, 2020, WAMU

People are driving less and skipping the toll roads, leaving less money for local projects

Add another victim to the list of industries hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic: toll road operators. Read more...
Luz Lazo, July 4, 2020, Washington Post

Support Mt. Vernon Trail safety improvements

The National Park Service (NPS) recently issued the “Mount Vernon Trail Corridor Study,” the first comprehensive analysis of the design, condition, usage, and crash history of the Mount Vernon Trail (MVT). Read more...
July 5, 2020, FABB

Pedestrian reportedly struck by errant gunfire on W&OD Trail in Leesburg

A man walking on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail in Leesburg Wednesday evening reportedly felt a projectile pellet hit him after he had heard gunfire, according to the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office. Read more...
July 2, 2020, Loudoun Times-Mirror

Construction work continues to advance at Reagan National

Passengers may be in relatively short supply at the moment, but work continues on the new 14-gate concourse pier at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Read more...
July 2, 2020, Inside NoVa

Loudoun Co. leaders slam 'outrageous' proposed toll increase for Dulles Greenway

Elected leaders in Loudoun County, Virginia, are loudly critical of the proposed toll increase for the Dulles Greenway, calling it “egregious” and “outrageous,” especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the resulting financial hardship. Read more...
Neal Augenstein, July 3, 2020, WTOP

MPD officer struck by Metrobus weeks ago goes home Thursday

A Metropolitan Police Department officer who suffered significant injuries after being hit by a Metrobus in May will be released from the hospital Thursday. Read more...
Khalida Volou, July 2, 2020, WUSA9

Assaults by bicyclist reported on W&OD Trail

Vienna Police have taken multiple reports of assaults on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail on Monday. Read more...
Emily Leayman, July 2, 2020, Vienna Patch

Md. to begin restoring normal MTA bus, subway, light rail, MARC service in July

The Maryland Transit Administration, which limited service in March on its buses, subway, light rail and trains to curb the spread of the coronavirus, will begin the process of restoring more normal service in July. Read more...
Colin Campbell, July 1, 2020, Mass Transit

Drivers must stop for pedestrians in Va. crosswalks

Drivers must now fully stop, not just yield, for pedestrians in all crosswalks in Virginia or they could be slapped with a $500 fine. Read more...
Adam Tuss, July 1, 2020, NBC Washington

After multitude of issues, Silver Line Phase Two almost done

After a variety of issues and delays, Silver Line’s Phase Two is now aiming for completion in spring 2021. Read more...
Catherine Douglas Moran, July 1, 2020, Reston Now

Metro Connection buses resume on Monday

Loudoun County Transit will resume service for Metro Connection Bus Routes 990 and 992 on Monday, July 6, after stopping them in March as the county government began its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. And, for now, bus rides are still free. Read more...
June 30, 2020, Loudoun Now

Alexandria recommends e-scooters for errands and social distancing

Electric scooter companies have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, and the city says the transportation option “can be an alternate mode of travel while distancing.” Read more...
James Cullum, June 30, 2020, ALX Now