Metro’s first major overhaul of its bus network in decades is set to take effect this coming Sunday (June 29).
Approved by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) Board of Directors last November, the Better Bus Network redesign will introduce revised routes and new signage, while also eliminating a number of stops.
The D.C. region’s roads and other transportation infrastructure is more at risk from future flooding than previously thought, a new analysis found.
The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) outlined its findings to leaders of member jurisdictions, including Hunter Mill District Supervisor Walter Alcorn and Braddock District Supervisor James Walkinshaw representing Fairfax County, at a meeting last Wednesday (June 18).
Northern Virginia political leaders at the local and state levels seem to have a firm dollar figure associated with the proposal to improve Metro service across the region. There remains a question, however, regarding whether they’ll be able to come up with the funding.
The Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is preparing to adopt a resolution on July 17 acknowledging that Virginia will need to commit an additional $153 million in fiscal year 2027 to implement operational upgrades and keep the transit system on track.
D.C.-area leaders continue to find common ground elusive when it comes to increased collaboration between the region’s bus systems.
While the possibility of merging all local bus systems has already been taken off the table, the DMV Moves task force is still searching for the sweet spot where systems could work better among themselves and with Metrobus.
In part due to opposition from Fairfax County leaders, the regional DMV Moves task force appears to have abandoned a proposal for a regional sales tax to provide additional Metro funding.
A collaborative effort between the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the DMV Moves task force has been working for a year on developing funding alternatives.
The Monument Drive Transit Center is a fairly grandiose name for what’s basically a large parking garage and bus stop, but as the facility approaches its one-year anniversary, the Fairfax County Department of Transportation credits the facility for an uptick in bus ridership along I-66.
The $43 million facility launched at 12113 Government Center Parkway near Fairfax Corner last June with 820 free parking spaces, electric vehicle charging stations, a secure bike room and bike racks. It connects to a large roundabout for buses that serve 13 Fairfax Connector routes and two Metrobus routes.
Fairfax County’s plan to finance a nearly billion-dollar bus rapid transit (BRT) network along Richmond Highway is about to get another boost.
In June, the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) is expected to support an additional $10 million in funding for the project. It would be the second installment in a $20 million promise to help the county finance the new bus system.
Plans for the nearly billion-dollar planned bus rapid transit (BRT) project in the Richmond Highway corridor took another step forward at the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors meeting on April 22.
The supervisors formally accepted $47.7 million in grant funding from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) in support of the project, which is currently estimated to cost $979 million. The money will come from the Commonwealth’s “Smart Scale” funding pool.
A task force empaneled to look at strategies for making transit service in the D.C. region sustainable long-term might not, in the end, deliver specific recommendations on a funding mechanism.
“It is, at this time, I think, still up in the air,” Nick Donohue, a staff facilitator for the DMV Moves task force, told the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission (NVTC) Board of Directors last Thursday (April 3).
Finding better ways for bus networks across Northern Virginia to better collaborate seems to be a priority for local representatives on the DMV Moves task force.
However, the possibility of consolidating the disparate systems into one appeared to be a non-starter, especially for Fairfax County Board of Supervisors Chairman Jeff McKay.
