The SafeTrack repair program has shut down Metrorail lines for much of 2016—and the price for the repairs to the system keep going up.

"Metro’s SafeTrack maintenance program will cost significantly more than anticipated and take at least three months longer to complete," reports Martine Powers, based on the information provided in a progress report released last week.
"The report by the Federal Transit Administration estimates that the total cost of the project will be $118.8 million — nearly twice the $60 million price tag Metro General Manager Paul J. Wiedefeld floated in June," adds Powers.
The article goes into detail about where the WMATA's cost estimates and the cost estimates of the Federal Transit Administration differ. Then there is this other detail that will disappoint, but probably not surprise, transit users in the Washington, D.C. region: the progress report estimates that the program will end in June, rather than the originally estimated March completion date.
FULL STORY: Metro’s SafeTrack could cost twice as much as expected and likely won’t conclude until June

Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”

Study: Maui’s Plan to Convert Vacation Rentals to Long-Term Housing Could Cause Nearly $1 Billion Economic Loss
The plan would reduce visitor accommodation by 25% resulting in 1,900 jobs lost.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

Waymo Gets Permission to Map SF’s Market Street
If allowed to operate on the traffic-restricted street, Waymo’s autonomous taxis would have a leg up over ride-hailing competitors — and counter the city’s efforts to grow bike and pedestrian on the thoroughfare.

Parklet Symposium Highlights the Success of Shared Spaces
Parklets got a boost during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the concept was translated to outdoor dining programs that offered restaurants a lifeline during the shutdown.

Federal Homelessness Agency Places Entire Staff on Leave
The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness is the only federal agency dedicated to preventing and ending homelessness.
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