This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhen the contracting team building the Purple Line announced plans to quit mid-construction this summer, some project watchers viewed it as posturing in a three-year fight with the state of Maryland over hundreds of millions in cost overruns.But industry analysts say financial pressures faced by the lead construction company, Texas-based Fluor, underscore the seriousness of the joint venture’s notice that it will walk off the $2 billion light-rail project rather than continue racking up additional costs.The company’s...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareWhen the contracting team building the Purple Line announced plans to quit mid-construction this summer, some project watchers viewed it as posturing in a three-year fight with the state of Maryland over hundreds of millions in cost overruns.But industry analysts say financial pressures faced by the lead construction company, Texas-based Fluor, underscore the seriousness of the joint venture’s notice that it will walk off the $2 billion light-rail project rather than continue racking up additional costs.The company’s...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareNearly 860,000 additional travelers flocked to parts of Maryland and Virginia over the weekend as the states began to reopen Friday, according to researchers tracking smartphone data. Many were from the Washington suburbs, which remained shut down because of their significantly higher coronavirus caseloads, the data shows.The 18 percent jump in travel from previous weekends brought a total 5.83 million trips to those areas between Friday and Sunday, according to an analysis by University of Maryland researchers.Virginia...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareNearly 860,000 additional travelers flocked to parts of Maryland and Virginia over the weekend as the states began to reopen Friday, according to researchers tracking smartphone data. Many were from the Washington suburbs, which remained shut down because of their significantly higher coronavirus caseloads, the data shows.The 18 percent jump in travel from previous weekends brought a total 5.83 million trips to those areas between Friday and Sunday, according to an analysis by University of Maryland researchers.Virginia...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe companies building Maryland’s Purple Line said Friday that they plan to walk away from the $2 billion project mid-construction because the state has refused to pay for extensive delays and cost overruns.The consortium of firms, known as Purple Line Transit Constructors (PLTC), said work crews will vacate the project’s construction sites spanning a 16-mile swath of the Washington suburbs after an “orderly transition” of 60 to 90 days.Unless Maryland officials reach an agreement with the construction team, its departure...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe companies building Maryland’s Purple Line said Friday that they plan to walk away from the $2 billion project mid-construction because the state has refused to pay for extensive delays and cost overruns.The consortium of firms, known as Purple Line Transit Constructors (PLTC), said work crews will vacate the project’s construction sites spanning a 16-mile swath of the Washington suburbs after an “orderly transition” of 60 to 90 days.Unless Maryland officials reach an agreement with the construction team, its departure...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis article is free to access.Why?The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.Follow this story and more by State officials and mayors critical of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic began imposing the most severe emergency measures to date on Sunday, with four governors effectively forcing restaurants, bars or other businesses to shut their doors.As the country braced for its first full week of widespread school and business closures, President Trump and other...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThis article is free to access.Why?The Washington Post is providing this news free to all readers as a public service.Follow this story and more by State officials and mayors critical of the federal response to the coronavirus pandemic began imposing the most severe emergency measures to date on Sunday, with four governors effectively forcing restaurants, bars or other businesses to shut their doors.As the country braced for its first full week of widespread school and business closures, President Trump and other...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA monorail line between Frederick and the Shady Grove Metro station in Montgomery County could be built for $4.4 billion and allow passengers to reliably make the 28-mile trip in 42 to 46 minutes, according to .While the agency found a monorail to be a “viable” public transportation option for the Interstate 270 corridor, it also cited a “concern” that it would draw passengers from other transit systems and barely reduce traffic on Interstate 270.Montgomery and Frederick officials have long sought to reduce...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareA monorail line between Frederick and the Shady Grove Metro station in Montgomery County could be built for $4.4 billion and allow passengers to reliably make the 28-mile trip in 42 to 46 minutes, according to .While the agency found a monorail to be a “viable” public transportation option for the Interstate 270 corridor, it also cited a “concern” that it would draw passengers from other transit systems and barely reduce traffic on Interstate 270.Montgomery and Frederick officials have long sought to reduce...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMontgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has asked the Maryland Transit Administration to explore whether the Purple Line could be single-tracked inside the Bethesda station to allow enough room for the county to rebuild the Capital Crescent Trail there.Doing so would save millions when the county’s capital budget, used for everything from transportation projects to school construction, is particularly tight, Elrich said.Under the current plan, the county would spend $54.9 million to rebuild the recreational trail...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMontgomery County Executive Marc Elrich (D) has asked the Maryland Transit Administration to explore whether the Purple Line could be single-tracked inside the Bethesda station to allow enough room for the county to rebuild the Capital Crescent Trail there.Doing so would save millions when the county’s capital budget, used for everything from transportation projects to school construction, is particularly tight, Elrich said.Under the current plan, the county would spend $54.9 million to rebuild the recreational trail...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePart of the rear wall of a two-story rowhouse collapsed Sunday afternoon in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, but no one was injured, D.C. officials said.Two people who had been staying in the home in the 1000 block of Kenyon Street NW weren’t there at the time, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. fire department.The two adjacent homes were not damaged, he said, and no one was evacuated. A city building inspector will determine the cause of the collapse.CommentsGift ArticleTOP STORIESThe DMV GuideWhether you’re...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift SharePart of the rear wall of a two-story rowhouse collapsed Sunday afternoon in the Columbia Heights neighborhood, but no one was injured, D.C. officials said.Two people who had been staying in the home in the 1000 block of Kenyon Street NW weren’t there at the time, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the D.C. fire department.The two adjacent homes were not damaged, he said, and no one was evacuated. A city building inspector will determine the cause of the collapse.CommentsGift ArticleTOP STORIESThe DMV GuideWhether you’re...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMaryland highway officials narrowed their options for expanding the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 to one that would add four new high-occupancy toll lanes — two in each direction — to both highways. The state also committed to building sidewalks, bike paths and trail connections as part of the project, officials said Wednesday.Four toll lanes, highway officials said, would provide the fastest and most reliable travel times. The state rejected six other options, including one that would have had reversible toll lanes...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMaryland highway officials narrowed their options for expanding the Capital Beltway and Interstate 270 to one that would add four new high-occupancy toll lanes — two in each direction — to both highways. The state also committed to building sidewalks, bike paths and trail connections as part of the project, officials said Wednesday.Four toll lanes, highway officials said, would provide the fastest and most reliable travel times. The state rejected six other options, including one that would have had reversible toll lanes...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMotorists traveling from Frederick to Rockville during the peak morning commute could end up paying $2.26 per mile — or nearly $50 total — to use the toll lanes being planned for Interstate 270, according to regional traffic models.Morning commuters who use the Capital Beltway’s planned toll lanes to reach Northern Virginia could end up paying $1.66 per mile — or about $25 total — from Interstate 95 to the American Legion Bridge, according to an analysis by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).Maryland...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareMotorists traveling from Frederick to Rockville during the peak morning commute could end up paying $2.26 per mile — or nearly $50 total — to use the toll lanes being planned for Interstate 270, according to regional traffic models.Morning commuters who use the Capital Beltway’s planned toll lanes to reach Northern Virginia could end up paying $1.66 per mile — or about $25 total — from Interstate 95 to the American Legion Bridge, according to an analysis by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG).Maryland...WW…

This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe companies building the Purple Line have stopped construction as they proceed with plans to quit the light-rail project amid disputes with the state about cost overruns, Maryland officials said Tuesday.The remaining workers are securing 16 miles of construction sites — partly built bridges, a tunnel and miles of ripped up roads — through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, state transit officials told the Prince George’s County Council.State officials did not say when the companies are expected to walk off the...…This article was published more than 2 years agoCommentGift ShareThe companies building the Purple Line have stopped construction as they proceed with plans to quit the light-rail project amid disputes with the state about cost overruns, Maryland officials said Tuesday.The remaining workers are securing 16 miles of construction sites — partly built bridges, a tunnel and miles of ripped up roads — through Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, state transit officials told the Prince George’s County Council.State officials did not say when the companies are expected to walk off the...WW…