Virginia

New Jersey

East Coast Considers Plan to Hike Gas Prices to Mitigate Climate Change

Will a dozen East Coast states and D.C. agree to a regional plan that would likely hike gas prices through a "cap-and-invest" program to mitigate tailpipe emissions similar to what California has done for the last five years?

December 30, 2019 - The New York Times

Roanoke, Virginia

Statewide Density Increases Proposed in Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia will consider a bill that would legalize duplexes in single-family zones throughout the state.

December 23, 2019 - CityLab

Maryland Suburbs

Missing Middle Housing Studied in Suburban Virginia

Almost 90% of Arlington County land zones for residential use is reserved for single-family homes. Would adding missing middle housing in the form of duplexes and triplexes keep the price of housing in a more manageable range?

December 22, 2019 - WAMU

Amtrak

Virginia to Pay $3.7 Billion for 225 Miles of Rail Track

New passenger rail improvements for the Virginia Railway Express and Amtrak are on the way in 2020.

December 20, 2019 - WTOP

Car-centric Planning

Transit-Oriented Development Central to D.C. Region's Growth Plan

Transit-oriented development will play a key role in mitigating the congestion effects of growing population in the region around the nation's capital, and regional planners say the region is already achieving its goals.

December 2, 2019 - WTOP

Tide Light Rail

A New Transit Vision for Norfolk

Transit ridership in Norfolk, Virginia, has been lagging, and the city hopes that changes to the bus and rail systems will turn things around.

December 1, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Arlington County, Virginia

Community Benefits Package for Amazon's HQ2 Takes Shape

Details of the community benefits package promised as part of Amazon's HQ2 development deal with Arlington County, Virginia made news this week.

November 27, 2019 - WTOP

Arlington to D.C.

Key Planning Details of the Proposed $1.9 Billion Rail Bridge Between D.C. and Virginia

Analysis of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for a project that would add an additional bridge to supplement the rail capacity of the Long Bridge over the Potomac River.

November 21, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

King Neptune Statue

Saying 'No' to Development in Climate Risk Areas

Only a few places have managed to stem the tide of development in areas at risk to the effects (like wildfire and flooding) of climate change. Virginia Beach is an early test bed for what it takes to tell developers "no."

November 21, 2019 - The New York Times

D.C. Metro System

Penalty for Paying Cash for Transit Fare Fails the Equity Test

A proposal to charge riders who pay fare in cash an extra 25 cents faces criticism.

November 20, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Potomac River

Maryland and Virginia to Increase Capacity on the Legion Bridge Across the Potomac

Maryland and Virginia have decided on a plan to widen the American Legion Memorial Bridge, connecting the Northern Virginia suburbs of McLean and Great Falls with Maryland’s Montgomery County.

November 13, 2019 - WTOP

Virginia State Government

Election 2019: Changing Demographics Explain Democrats' Victory in Virginia

It's not suburbs vs. cities but inner vs. outer suburbs that determined the outcome of elections in Virginia last Tuesday that flipped the General Assembly from red to blue.

November 12, 2019 - The New York Times

Virginia Transportation Engineering

The $64 Million Intersection

The Virginia County of Chesterfield is planning six so-called "superstreet" treatments for junctions in the county. One junction, where Route 10 meets Rivers Bend Boulevard, will cost $64 million.

November 12, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Tysons Corner Parking Lot

Reducing Parking Requirements for Huge, Regional Malls

Fairfax County, Virginia is considering a change to its parking requirements that would lower the number of parking spots at large malls like Tysons Corner Center and Tysons Galleria.

October 15, 2019 - Tysons Reporter

D.C. Metro

Report: D.C. Area Commuters Driving Alone Less

With all the bad news about plummeting ridership as the D.C. Metro transit system has struggled to deal with maintenance issues, a new report indicates that regional commuters are still driving alone less.

October 10, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Pennsylvania State Capitol

Will Pennsylvania Become the 11th State in the Northeast to Price Carbon Emissions?

Pennsylvania is the nation’s #2 natural gas producer, #3 in coal, and #4 in carbon emissions. Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order on Oct. 3 to initiate the process to join the regional cap-and-trade program, but will the legislature allow it?

October 8, 2019 - The Patriot-News

Refueling

Reducing Transportation Emissions by Targeting Fuel Suppliers

Modeled on the nation's first mandatory cap-and-trade program that only targets power plant emissions, the Transportation & Climate Initiative subjects transportation fuel to a similar market-based program. It took a major step forward on Oct. 1.

October 5, 2019 - The Hill

Interstate 95/395 reversible HOV lanes

Solo-Occupant Hybrid Vehicles Lose Access to Carpool Lanes

A change in federal law on Monday meant that over 16,000 Virginia motorists must double or triple-up when using carpool lanes in Virginia. Next month, electric vehicles will need three occupants to drive free on I-395 when HOV lanes become HOT.

October 2, 2019 - The Washington Post

Richmond, Virginia

Virginia Planning a Big Addition to Multi-Modal Trail System

The proposed Ashland to Petersburg Trail would build on the success of the Virginia Capital Trail.

October 2, 2019 - Greater Greater Washington

Virginia Interstate Widening Would Convert Free Lanes to Toll Lanes

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization is proposing a 45-mile network of high-occupancy toll lanes on I–64 that includes conversions of 16 miles of carpool and three miles of general-purpose lanes. No unpriced lanes would be added.

September 30, 2019 - The Virginian-Pilot

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