State leaders push for expanded MARC train service into Virginia
State lawmakers, business leaders and transit advocates lobbied on Thursday in Annapolis for expanded MARC rail service into Northern Virginia. Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery) is sponsoring a bill that would create a pilot program for expanding service south of Union Station in Washington, D.C. into Northern Virginia. He wrote in a news release that expanding the rail service is essential for growing the regional economy. Additionally, Tricia Swanson, a spokeswoman from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, said Thursday that better transportation is a priority for business leaders in the region.
MARC trains currently terminate at Union Station, and riders must transfer to Virginia Railway Express or Metro to continue their journey [WTOP].
Maryland Department of Transportation opposes legislation that could encumber toll lane project
The Maryland Department of Transportation, on Thursday, came out against a number of bills in the Maryland General Assembly that would make it more financially difficult to carry out its plan of adding express toll lanes on the Beltway and Interstate 270. Among the bills the department opposes is one sponsored by Del. Kumar Barve (D-Montgomery), which would set maximum per-mile toll rates. Another bill the department opposes is one from Del. Jared Solomon (D-Montgomery), which would increase financial oversight of future public-private partnerships, such as the toll lane expansion project.
The Department of Transportation did not send any representatives to Annapolis to speak out on any of the bills Thursday, but a panel of transportation advocates was there to oppose them [Maryland Matters].
1970’s-style lives on in modern homes in one Bethesda neighborhood
Neighbors in Bethesda’s Drumaldry neighborhood are drawn by their love for mid-century modern architecture that includes redwood ceilings and roofs made of cedar shingles. Each home is surrounded by a six-foot tall brick fence, and neighbors say there is a vibrant social life. The neighborhood celebrates its 50th anniversary this year [Washington Post].
Today’s weather
Friday will be partly cloudy with a high of 52 degrees.
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