Name: Long Bridge rail project barrels forward full speed ahead - Virginia Mercury
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Long Bridge rail project barrels forward full speed ahead - Virginia Mercury

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0:13News StoryThe Long Bridge rail crossing over the Potomac River. (Washington D.C. Department of Transportation/ Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation)Xby Wyatt Gordon, September 14, 2020by Wyatt Gordon, September 14, 2020With the state budget in tatters and commuter levels at record lows, now might hardly seem the right moment for Virginia to embark upon a $1.9 billion rail project. However, the recent conclusion of the ’s environmental impact study has cleared the way for the commonwealth to do just that.The plan to add a second set of tracks to the 116 year-old rail crossing between D.C. and Virginia will allow the state to realize the full potential of the Governor Ralph Northam struck last December.With the bridge operating at 98 percent capacity for decades, rail advocates like — executive director of — argue construction can’t begin soon enough.&nbsp; “With reduced usage of the corridor during the pandemic now is the perfect time to get started building so that the work has the least impact on riders,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s also one of the hardest times for many agencies and governments to commit funding towards new construction.”Funding FearsAfter Amtrak announced plans to due to the havoc COVID-19 has wrought on its regular ridership and revenue, the fears around the project’s financing aren’t fully unfounded.&nbsp; Although the final funding agreement is still being worked out among Amtrak, the D.C. Department of Transportation and Virginia’s , DRPT Director isn’t worried about Amtrak’s promised $944 million contribution or the fate of the Long Bridge project.“Amtrak is still committed to the project, both to the amount and the timeline,” she said. “We’re going to have at least a 10-year partnership for full construction. Right now there are really important before the General Assembly to allow the Commonwealth Transportation Board to move funds around and keep our high priority projects like the Long Bridge moving forward.”Receiving that financial flexibility for the CTB could make all the difference in whether the project faces extensive delays and uncertainty or if initial construction begins next spring as currently planned. “The money was primarily lined up before the pandemic, but like many things in our current world that has all been turned upside down,” said Plaugher.&nbsp;&nbsp;“Over the next two years there is going to be an estimated $130 million cut to the state’s transportation budget if the governor’s amendments don’t get passed; these amendments are vital for Virginia’s participation in the project,” he said.&nbsp; “A next round of COVID relief will be so important to make sure Amtrak has the money they need to still invest in the future, to keep trains running and to take full advantage of this project.”All aboard!The importance of the Long Bridge to the region’s — and even the nation’s — economy is hard to overstate. Were this century-old crossing of the Potomac to fail, the next closest north-south rail connection is 68 miles away in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Once the brand new Long Bridge is finally complete in 2028, the capacity of this linchpin piece of infrastructure will be doubled, thereby creating new possibilities of , expanded commuter service and increased freight from .Regardless of the Long Bridge’s importance, multi-jurisdictional projects with price tags in the billions don’t generally come together within three to four years.&nbsp; “The completion of the EIS, especially in the middle of a pandemic, is a huge milestone,” said , director of transportation policy at the . “The speed and urgency of this project has such widespread support from local, state and federal officials that we are moving this thing forward together collectively as a region at speeds we have never seen before. That is a testament to all of the partners involved in this because it’s a rarity on huge projects like this.”One hurdle to the project’s speedy completion — the temporary and permanent transfer of certain National Park Service (NPS) land for construction purposes — already has multiple bills from a litany of regional lawmakers to address it.&nbsp; Everyone from Republican Congressman Rob Wittman and Democratic Virginia Senator Mark Warner to Democratic Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton of Washington, D.C., and Democratic U.S. Rep. Anthony Brown of Maryland have been looking for legislative ways to circumvent the normal NPS acquisition process, which can take decades, to instead force the land transfer in a matter of months.The DMV ExpressThe flurry of activity to improve mobility in , could finally solve one of the biggest barriers to Metro D.C.’s further economic growth identified in a : the lack of regional commuter rail service.&nbsp; Thanks to the Long Bridge project, as soon as 2025 VRE trains could be traveling to Baltimore while Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) trains could be stopping at stations across Northern Virginia.“The ability to run MARC trains down into NoVA and back again is not only beneficial to Marylanders who would like work in Virginia, it’s going to make it possible for Virginians to work at military bases in Maryland, for example, and ride home on just one train,” said McAndrews.Mitchell was similarly excited about the prospect of regional commuter rail.&nbsp; “The potential ridership is there,” she said.&nbsp; “The technical challenges are relatively minor.&nbsp; The biggest issue is having slots available to cross the Long Bridge.&nbsp; Having Maryland trains access Virginia stations and vice versa would be a game changer for NoVA and the entire D.C. region.”is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Virginia Mercury maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Sarah Vogelsong for questions: . Follow Virginia Mercury on and .Copy to clipboard1RepublishOur stories may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. We ask that you edit only for style or to shorten, provide proper attribution and link to our web site. Please see our republishing guidelines for use of photos and graphics.

0:13News StoryThe Long Bridge rail crossing over the Potomac River. (Washington D.C. Department of Transportation/ Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation)Xby Wyatt Gordon, September 14, 2020by Wyatt Gordon, September 14, 2020With the state budget in tatters and commuter levels at record lows, now might hardly seem the right moment for Virginia to embark upon a $1.9 billion rail project. However, the recent conclusion of the ’s environmental impact study has cleared the way for the commonwealth to do just that.The plan to add a second set of tracks to the 116 year-old rail...

Long Bridge rail project barrels forward full speed ahead - Virginia Mercury

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