WYATT GORDON
The Virginia Mercury
RICHMOND â When former Gov. Doug Wilder sold off the stateâs interest in hundreds of miles of track and rail right-of-way in the early 1990s, the move was applauded by the Republican-dominated legislature as a prudent divestment to help balance the annual budget.
Since then, though, the state has spent millions more on track improvements benefiting railroad corporations in exchange for every increase in passenger train service Virginia has sought.
To avoid another such flash sale of Virginiaâs rail infrastructure and to oversee an increasing focus on boosting passenger rail capacity to combat congestion, this March the General Assembly created the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority.
December 11, 2020 at 3:55pm
Arlington County has received a $710,000 grant to convert an outside lane of Lee Highway to bus- and HOV-only.
The lane will run eastbound from N. Veitch Street to N. Lynn Street during peak morning hours and westbound from N. Oak Street to N. Veitch Street during the evening peak period. During these times, roughly 25 loaded buses travel that stretch per hour, staff said in a report this January.
At other times, it will continue as a general-purpose travel lane.
The project is one of six “low-cost, low-risk” projects to receive a grant through the Commuter Choice program, which funds transit projects with toll revenue from I-66 inside the Beltway. On Wednesday, the Commonwealth Transportation Board authorized the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission to award $3.5 million in grants, NVTC announced.
Updated on December 11, 2020 at 8:31 am
Virginia s Commonwealth Transportation Board approved nearly $4 million in spending on new projects designed to improve commutes along the Interstate 66 corridor in the northern part of the state.
The board voted Wednesday to approve six projects the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission described as “low-cost, low risk transit and multimodal.” Download our NBC Washington app for iOS or Android to get alerts for local breaking news and weather.
Local
Creating a unified brand and fare policy for the Washington region s commuter rail systems could help reduce travel times and improve economic development opportunities over the next few decades, according to a new report released Thursday.
The Greater Washington Partnership, with support from leaders of Amtrak, state departments of transportation, and existing commuter rail systems, released its âCapital Region Rail Visionâ report Thursday, outlining its plan to seamlessly interconnect Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Colombia. Â
During a virtual news conference, Joe McAndrew, vice president of the partnership, said one of the key issues for the region is adapting the regionâs transportation network to its growing size.