Annapolis, MD – Over 150 community members, business leaders, and elected officials gathered in support of the Purple and Red Lines in Annapolis Monday night to call on legislators to keep fighting for the two transit projects, both of which are nearly ready to begin construction and create jobs for Maryland residents. With delays from the Hogan administration posing a threat to nearly $2 billion in federal funding for the two projects combined, a broad coalition of business, community, and elected were united in their message to legislators and the Governor that neither delay nor cancellation of these critical projects is acceptable.
Author: Elena Sorokina
Testimony at Oversight Hearing for DMPED & OP
We commend DMPED for listing affordable housing as one of its top 5 priorities. This is a welcome explicit commitment from the office. DC’s strong population growth and fiscal position enable it to respond to this crisis with policies and funding to directly address the housing needs of our moderate and low income families.
D.C. is spending $1 million on another study of the 16th Street NW corridor
The new 16th Street NW Transit Priority Planning Study will look in detail at a 2.7-mile stretch from Arkansas Avenue south to H Street NW, a section an earlier study noted as optimal for a dedicated bus lane. DDOT will hold a public meeting March 31 to hear from residents, transit users and other stakeholders. Once this latest study is completed, some riders and public transit advocates say they expect the city to move from planning to action.
Testimony: DDOT Performance Oversight Hearing
With new leadership at DDOT, empowered by the Mayor, we have the opportunity to capitalize on the sound planning the agency has done over the last year. We ask that the Committee work with DDOT to ensure that the following priorities are implemented this year.
Testimony at Oversight Hearing on Dept of Housing and Community Development
We appreciate that the DC Council and Mayor Bowser have made the affordable housing crisis a top priority. The precipitous loss of low priced housing, and the significant rise in households burdened by housing costs are distressing trends, but they can be addressed.
Public transit on the ropes
As badly as the D.C. streetcar — and projects like the Silver Spring Transit Center — have been managed, transit has created enormous value for homeowners and companies. Fortune 500 CEOs are insisting that their employees have access to it. It’s safer than driving. It produces less greenhouse gas. The newest addition, the Silver Line, is already showing strong ridership numbers.
Metro’s fancy new railcars were supposed to be rolling by now
Eight of the new cars, the first batch acquired by Metro, have been undergoing tests since early 2014.
The planned acquisition of the new cars will allow Metro to scrap cars that date to the 1970s while also expanding its rail fleet, which currently numbers just over 1,100 cars, most built in the 1980s, ‘90s and early 2000s.
The Purple Line: The investment of a generation for Maryland
The Purple Line has been Montgomery and Prince George’s County’s top priority transportation project for several years now for good reason. For the state’s capital investment of $300-$700 million and local investment of $220 million, the project will leverage $900 million in federal funds and $600 million-$1 billion in private capital. Long term, the economic, environmental, and social benefits will far exceed this initial investment.
Purple Line goes to Hogan in May
Maryland transportation officials say Gov. Larry Hogan will get options about the future of the Purple Line in mid-May.
Caring for the Potomac: Developers have a role in maintaining and improving river’s health
It might sound counterintuitive, but the health of the Potomac River might be improving thanks to large-scale development in places like Tysons Corner and Rockville.