Friday, May 3, 2013
Project planners say setback will provide time for better community outreach.
The process of determining the location and type of Metrorail station at Potomac Yard has been delayed a few months, Alexandria officials announced Friday afternoon. Along with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, Federal Transit Administration and the National Park Service, Alexandria has been plugging away at the environmental impact study for the project. A draft statement on the study, which assesses everything from sound and noise issues to air quality and wetland impacts related to a station, was scheduled to be released Friday. However, the FTA and NPS recommended technical changes and amendments to the plan during a review of the statement, creating more work for planners. According to a press release from the city: …
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
A confluence of sporting events, the cherry blossom peak bloom and a rally on Capitol Hill will make for crowded stations and trains.
Metro advises customers to expect crowded stations and Metro cars during the afternoon and evening as several large events overlap with Wednesday's rush hour. A Metro advisory lists the following events that may impact travel Wednesday: The transit agency advises riders to make sure their SmarTrip cards or fare cards are purchased and loaded prior to rush hour to avoid lines. Metro will be operating additional eight-car trains in the afternoon to accommodate crowds attending the rally and will also run extra trains on the Green line to get fans to the Washington Nationals game. Additionally, Metro suggests customers avoid the following stations, if possible: • Capitol South (consider Eastern Market or Federal Center SW as alternates) • …
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Metro says system-wide capability not possible until 2015, but the congressional deadline is Sept. 30 of this year.
Metro got a break this week on its congressional deadline to install cellphone service system-wide; a continuing resolution pushed the due date from March 30 to Sept. 30, The Washington Examiner reports. But don't get your hopes up, Metro has said system-wide service will not happen until December 2015. Among other requirements to continue receiving $150 million in federal funding each year, Metro is supposed to offer cell phone service throughout the transit system. Metro's 20 busiest stations were wired for Internet service in 2009, but many tunnels between stations and many stations still do not have cell phone or internet service capabilities. Currently AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless have mixed levels of service throughout…
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Traffic information for Northern Virginia commuters, including traffic jams, delays, Metro, ART, DASH, Fairfax Connector and more. Click on the grey tabs below for more information.
Problems on your commute today? Tell other readers about it in the comment section below. Updated traffic information: Delayed Metro trains, buses and cars sitting in endless traffic on I-66 and the Beltway—even a 10-minute commute in the DC metro area can be extreme some days. In fact, a March 2013 report from the Census Bureau shows people in the DC metro area have the second-worst commute in the country. That report came on the heels of a Texas Transportation Institute report in February that DC area commuters face the worst traffic in the country. Patch is here to help! Click on any of the grey tabs above to expand it and get more information about congestion, delays or other traffic alerts. On the Metro rail map, click on any …
Friday, March 15, 2013
Bus purchases, station improvements and plans to replace Metro's farecard system likely to be delayed as agency receives $8 million reduction in federal funding.
Sequestration will impact Metro’s long-term projects, likely delaying bus purchases, station improvements and possibly deferring the agency’s plan to replace its fare-card system with one allowing credit cards, according to a report from The Washington Post. The agency will receive $8 million less in federal funds because of the sequester. Metro had expected to lose as much as $12 million. It receives $150 million annually from the federal government, a number that is matched by local participating jurisdictions. • See: Sequestration to Affect Metro Maintenance, Long-Term Upgrades Metro is currently accepting bids from tech firms to develop a new system that would allow customers tap their credit card or mobile phone to pay fares, …
Friday, March 8, 2013
Metro officials say bus rapid transitway could move more people quicker, boost bus ridership and potentially reduce vehicle traffic.
The Crystal City-Potomac Yard transitway—the first network of bus-only lanes to be built in the Washington, D.C. region—will debut in spring 2014, according to a report from The Washington Post. The transitway will ultimately connect Braddock Road and Crystal City Metro stations, with a future extension to Pentagon City. Construction began in July. Alexandria officials initially suggested line would open at the end of 2013. • See: Route 1 Transitway Construction to Begin Soon “We see this as the poster child for what transit service should be,” Jack Requa, Metro’s bus chief, told the Post. “This will be the first time that the buses will own the street and be able to move freely without interruptions from cars and taxis.” The MetroBus 9S …
Monday, February 25, 2013
Current escalator upgrades and maintenance, and future expansion plans for Metrorail could both be scaled back with sequestration.
If Congress doesn’t stop sequestration by Friday’s deadline, Metrorail users could be walking up and down more broken escalators. Sequestration—billions in automatic spending cuts set to start Friday—will hit the DC Metro area hard, with thousands of federal and government contracting employees bracing for furloughs as their agencies and companies look for ways to cut spending. Federal employees account for 40 percent of Metro’s ridership, WTOP reported, and passenger fares make up about 58 percent of Metro’s funding. Last week, James Dinegar, president & CEO of the Greater Washington Board of Trade, and Karen Young, chairwoman of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments Board of Directors, co-signed a letter to Congress …
Monday, February 4, 2013
Planners now eye mid-2017 opening date for station.
Elected officials serving on Alexandria’s Potomac Yard Metro Implementation Work Group continued to express their commitment to building a Metro station at Potomac Yard during a meeting last week at City Hall. The group received an update on the progress of an ongoing Environmental Impact Study (EIS) required to build a station. The city will determine a locally preferred alternative between three station designs and locations later this year. A no-build option remains in play, but officials underscored the importance of a station in developing Potomac Yard and the city’s economy. “If we don’t make it happen here, [the development] is going to go elsewhere [in the region,]” said Mayor Bill Euille, who sits on the group with Councilman …
Monday, January 28, 2013
Potomac Yard Metro Tax Increment Bill was introduced by Del. Rob Krupicka (D-45th).
Alexandria city officials and members of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce are scheduled to testify in a state committee hearing Monday in support of a bill to generate state funding for a Potomac Yard Metro station. The Potomac Yard Metro Tax Increment Bill (HB-1650), introduced by Del. Rob Krupicka (D-45th), provides that if an infill Metro station is constructed in a service district in a locality—in this case, the city of Alexandria—then the locality is entitled to retain the sales and use tax revenue generated in the district to pay bonds issued to construct the station. The bill would place a $1.25 million a year cap on the tax revenue retained. The state would support approximately 10 percent of the cost of the Metro construction …
Friday, January 25, 2013
A look at what you need to know about Metro this weekend.
Taking the Metro to get around this weekend? Here's what you need to know. The Blue and Yellow lines will operate on a normal weekend schedule. According to a Metro news release: Red Line Orange Line Green Line
matt tallmerq
5:31 pm on Wednesday, April 10, 2013
JP: LOL more ›