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.

Buttigieg to cite 'generational opportunity' on infrastructure at confirmation hearing Thursday

Pete Buttigieg, a young, former Midwestern mayor with a national profile, will make his pitch Thursday to the Senate committee weighing his nomination to become President Biden’s transportation secretary. Read more...
Ian Duncan, Michael Laris, January 21, 2021, Washington Post

Bridges reopen as DC cleans up after inauguration

D.C.’s bridges and streets are reopening Thursday after the historic inauguration of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The District is also in the process of taking down security measures. Read more...
Abigail Constantino, Will Vitka, January 21, 2021, WTOP

Memo to Buttigieg: USDOT needs an active transportation administration

Take one glance at the US DOT’s sprawling org chart, and you’ll see a gaggle of departments dedicated to the needs of motorists, transit passengers, air travelers, maritime shipping magnates, pipeline operators, and more. Read more...
Kea Wilson, January 21, 2021, Streetsblog USA

Joe Biden becomes first traffic violence widower to hold U.S. presidency

Joe Biden is the first president in U.S. history who’s lost a child and a spouse to our national traffic violence epidemic. Read more...
Kea Wilson, January 20, 2021, Streetsblog USA

Metro launches pilot program to test new air filtration system in subway cars

Metro is testing out a new air filtration system in subway cars that it hopes will help to rebuild public faith in public transit. Read more...
Justin George, January 20, 2021, Washington Post

Prince George's council requests 6 months to comment on environmental impact of high-speed train

The Prince George’s County council in Maryland voted 10-0 Tuesday in favor of requesting six months to comment on the environmental impact of a proposed high-speed train. Read more...
Dick Uliano, January 20, 2021, WTOP

Risky driving and fatal crashes surged in 2020, even with fewer drivers on the road, a new report finds

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released a report on Americans’ driving habits from March to September 2020 and found some disturbing trends. Read more...
January 19, 2021, WTOP

Authorities reverse course, reopen some DC bridges to local traffic

Authorities reversed course Tuesday morning and reopened bridges over the Anacostia River into D.C. ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration. Read more...
Will Vitka, Alejandro Alvarez, January 19, 2021, WTOP

NHTSA issues final rule for driverless cars

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its final rule on driverless vehicle safety standards. Read more...
liz Carey, January 19, 2021, Transportation Today

Biden's emergency COVID-19 response plan includes $20B for public transit

President-Elect Joe Biden’s emergency COVID-19 response plan will include $20 billion for hard-hit public transit agencies. Read more...
Liz Carey, January 19, 2021, Transportation Today

DC Circulator service modification update

Effective January 19, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is modifying service on the DC Circulator Rosslyn - Dupont Circle route due to Key Bridge area traffic closures implemented by the United States Secret Service. Read more...
January 19, 2021, DDOT

Pandemic flipped traffic worldwide in 2020

COVID-19 changed traffic across the globe. That’s the conclusion TomTom, the traffic navigation company, drew in its annual traffic index. Read more...
Scott Shenk, January 17, 2021, Free Lance-Star

In South Bend, Pete Buttigieg challenged a decades-old assumption that streets are for cars above all else

He pitched a $25 million plan to convert downtown’s wide, one-way roads into two-way streets with bike lanes and sidewalks. Read more...
Ian Duncan, January 16, 2021, Washington Post

Ten months into the pandemic, transit systems in the Washington suburbs have a long way to normal

Ten months into the coronavirus pandemic, ridership on regional bus systems is 40 to 60 percent below previous levels, according to transit officials, who also point to some encouraging signs. Read more...
Luz Lazo, January 16, 2021, Washington Post

Federal review of Baltimore-Washington high-speed maglev project moves ahead

A proposal to bring a high-speed maglev train system to the Washington region, which proponents say is key to addressing congestion along the Interstate 95 corridor, has reached a critical milestone. Read more...
Luz Lazo, January 15, 2021, Washington Post

Trump administration delays increase in fines for automakers who fail to meet climate change standards

The federal auto regulator said this week it would delay an increase in fines imposed on manufacturers that fail to meet emissions standards designed to curb global warming, even after the Trump administration has lost two lawsuits over the issue. Read more...
Ian Duncan, January 15, 2021, Washington Post

2020 ends hottest decade on record

It is now official, 2020 ends the hottest decade on record. Read more...
Brenda Ekwurzel, January 15, 2021, Union of Concerned Scientists

FAA approves first fully-automated commercial drone flights

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) this week approved the first fully-automated commercial drone flights, giving a small firm the green light to operate drones without direct supervision by human controllers or manned piloting. Read more...
Tal Axelrod, January 15, 2021, The Hill

Link roundup:Biking during Inauguration week

Do not attempt to bike around or through the federal core of DC for the next week. Read more...
Colin Browne, January 15, 2021, WABA

DC Streetcar, DC Circulator, and Capital Bikeshare service modifications

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will modify service in preparation for the 59th Presidential Inauguration on the following transit systems. Read more...
January 15, 2021, DDOT

How to get around -- and avoid -- downtown Washington during the inauguration. It won't be easy.

For those who want to witness the moment Joseph R. Biden Jr. is sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, your best bet is to watch from home. Read more...
Luz Lazo, January 15, 2021, Washington Post

D.C. to begin long-awaited revamp of Rock Creek Park bike paths

If you’ve ever been for bike ride on the multi-use path that runs along Rock Creek, you know much of it is narrow, winding, bumpy, and crowded. Some of the trail is in such bad repair it’s nonexistent -- eroded into the creek and long closed to park users. Read more...
Jacob Fenston, January 15, 2021, dcist

Biden: $20B for 'hardest hit' public transit agencies

President-elect Joe Biden unveiled a $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan on Jan. 14 that includes a $20 billion investment to “protect the future of transit.” Read more...
Marybeth Luczak, January 15, 2021, Railway Age

Drivers are still top polluters, even during quarentine

Not even months of quarantine orders that confined millions of Americans to their homes were enough to unseat transportation as the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States — and cars are the biggest polluters in the sector, a new study finds. Read more...
Kea Wilson, January 14, 2021, Streetsblog USA

Inauguration Day closures expected to include the Mall, major bridges

All or most of the Mall is expected to close to the general public for Inauguration Day, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues. Read more...
Emily Davies, Justin Jouvenal, January 14, 2021, Washington Post

Metro is planning normal service this year, but hoping for a cash infusion in 2022

With the most recent federal stimulus coming to Metro’s rescue, the transit agency is proposing to leave service levels stable for a year until the money runs out. Read more...
Justin George, January 14, 2021, Washington Post

Montgomery County conducting transportation survey for visually impaired

Officials in Montgomery County are conducting a survey on how they can best help the visually impaired safely navigate their communities. Read more...
Alessia Grunberger, January 14, 2021, Takoma Park Patch

Metro committee agrees to send new budget for public comment

A Metro committee has agreed to send the 2022 budget for public comment. It avoids major cuts, but members said that’s temporary if more help doesn’t come soon. Read more...
Valerie Bonk, January 14, 2021, WTOP

Biden's new relief plan may help Metro avoid cuts next year

A new $1.9 trillion stimulus plan out from the Biden administration tonight is pitching $20 billion to “the hardest hit public transit agencies” so they can avoid cutting routes and laying off workers. Read more...
Jordan Pascale, January 14, 2021, dcist

New data: Most D.C. voters support protected bike lanes

This past December, WABA partnered with Data for Progress on a citywide poll on biking issues. Read more...
January 14, 2021, WABA

Washington area employers expect majority of workers back in offices by fall

Employers across the Washington area anticipate only 29% of their workforce to return physically to the workplace this winter but that the majority of their employees will return in-person by the fall, according to survey results released Thursday. Read more...
James Jarvis, January 14, 2021, Inside NoVa

D.C.'s 'inauguration perimeter' will make it hard for many to get around Nation's Capitol

D.C. officials are working to get the word out about street closures ahead of Inauguration Day 2021 on Jan. 20 and giving the public an idea of what to expect in the next week. Read more...
Nick Boykin, January 13, 2021, WUSA9

DDOT Director Jeff Marootian tapped for Biden's climate team

Jeff Marootian, the director of D.C.’s Department of Transportation, just got a job in the Biden administration: He’ll serve as the Special Assistant to the President for Climate and Science Agency Personnel. Read more...
Jenny Gathright, Jordan Pascale, January 14, 2021, dcist

Your Metrorail trips in 2021 might get quicker – five seconds at a time

The agency has a new plan to make its train doors open automatically at stations again, beginning on the Red Line in January, and coming to the rest of the system later in the year. Read more...
Stephen Repetski, January 14, 2021, GGWash

Three Md. teams submit proposals for American Legion Bridge, I-270 relief plan

The Maryland Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it had received three final proposals from private sector teams to complete Phase 1 of the Public-Private Partnership program for the American Legion Bridge I-270 to I-70 Relief Plan. Read more...
Liz Carey, January 14, 2021, Transportation Today

Metro announces Inauguration service plans, station closures

Metro will close 13 stations inside the security perimeter, with 11 stations closing on Friday and two additional stations on Saturday and continuing through the end of service on Thursday. During this time trains will pass through the closed stations without stopping. Read more...
January 13, 2021, WMATA

MARC Train - Washington Metrorail service modifications

Washington Metrorail has notified MARC Train that the Union Station Metro station and other downtown Metrorail stations will be closed beginning Friday, January 15 at 5:00am. Read more...
January 14, 2021, MDOT MTA

Biden forgoing Amtrak trip to Washington over security fears

President-elect Joe Biden will no longer be taking an Amtrak train to Washington for his inauguration because of security concerns, a person briefed on the decision told The Associated Press on Wednesday. Read more...
Alexandra Jaffe, Zeke Miller, January 13, 2021, NBC Washington

Metro isn't making commemorative SmarTrip cards for Biden inauguration

As the pandemic and last week’s attack on the U.S. Capitol continue to complicate Inauguration Day plans, another tradition is canceled: A Metro spokesperson says the agency isn’t creating a commemorative SmarTrip card this year for the Biden inauguration as it has for presidents Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump. Read more...
Jordan Pascale, January 13, 2021, dcist

Metro to close 13 stations for a week amid threats of inauguration violence

Metro will shut down more than a dozen stations near the U.S. Capitol and Mall for days around the presidential inauguration because of the possibility of violent protests. Read more...
Justin George, January 13, 2021, Washington Post

NTSB: Electric vehicle battery fires a threat to first responders

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday said that electric vehicle fires pose a threat to first responders and that vehicle manufacturers have distributed inadequate guidance to mitigate safety risks. Read more...
Celine Castronuovo, January 13, 2021, The Hill

D.C., along with three states, signs the Transportation Climate Initiative, but controversy remains

On December 21, the District of Columbia was among the first to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) committing to the Transportation Climate Initiative Program (TCI-P). Read more...
Ethan Goffman, January 13, 2021, GGWash

USDOT releases automated vehicles comprehensive plan

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced Monday that it had released its “Automated Vehicles Comprehensive Plan” (AVCP), which lays out the department’s multimodal strategy towards integrating safe Automated Driving Systems (ADS). Read more...
Liz Carey, January 13, 2021, Transportation Today

Road closures, parking restrictions as D.C. clamps down before inauguration

Washington, D.C., is locking down near the U.S. Capitol, White House and National Mall, bracing for the possibility of further unrest before and on Inauguration Day. Read more...
Sophia Barnes, January 13, 2021, NBC Washington

Lawmakers unveil an ambitious climate action plan for Maryland

Maryland would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 60% and plant 5 million trees by 2030, under a revamped, ambitious climate change bill that lawmakers plan to introduce in this year’s General Assembly session. Read more...
Elizabeth Shwe, January 13, 2021, WTOP

American Legion Bridge transit options proposed at Md., Va. virtual hearing

Transportation leaders from Maryland and Virginia took part in an online public hearing to go over studies that suggest ways to expand bus service with the addition of a new American Legion Bridge along Interstate 495. Read more...
Ken Duffy, January 13, 2021, WTOP

Inauguration Day is a week away. The traffic challenges have begun.

Some restrictions went into effect Tuesday morning. Read more...
Luz Lazo, January 12, 2021, Washington Post

CDC to require negative COVID-19 tests from international passengers boarding US flights

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued new guidelines that require all international passengers boarding U.S. flights to get a negative COVID-19 test before flying. Read more...
Lexi Lonas, January 12, 2021, The Hill

Sound off on proposed Ride On changes to Route 36

Montgomery County commuters can sound off on the proposed bus service changes on Jan. 28. Read more...
Alessia Grunberger, January 12, 2021, Takoma Park Patch

Inauguration perimeter to restrict access to downtown D.C.

Authorities are preparing to restrict access to parts of downtown Washington, D.C., more than a week before Inauguration Day amid warnings that demonstrators and armed groups may plan to disrupt ceremonies or commit more violence. Read more...
January 12, 2021, NBC Washington