The Washington region plans to compete this month for a share of $527 million in federal grants to improve bike and pedestrian access to Metro and commuter rail stations around the area, including building a long-sought pedestrian underpass under busy Georgia Avenue, a two-way bike lane plus more bike-sharing stations. The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board plans to apply for up to $29 million in federal stimulus funds to help pay for seven projects around transit stops from New Carrollton to Prince George’s County, according to the draft application.
The initial idea was to seek projects that would help boost development at underdeveloped transit stops around the region, to help bring jobs and reverse commuters to those areas.
| The proposed projects |
| Forest Glen Metro, Montgomery County: Build a pedestrian and bike underpass to bypass vehicle traffic at Georgia Avenue and elevator to improve access from Metro station to Holy Cross Hospital, add 10 Capital Bikeshare stations. |
| Army Navy Drive, Arlington County: Add two-way bike lanes separated from vehicle traffic called cycle tracks, 10 Capital Bikeshare stations along Columbia Pike, wider sidewalks. |
| VRE stations, Northern Virginia: Add 35 bike lockers to eight commuter train stations. |
| Fort Totten Metro, D.C.: Redesign two streets to Metro station, including adding and widening sidewalks, adding secure bike parking. |
| New Carrollton Metro, Prince George’s County: Build sidewalk and better road crossings, re-time stoplights to make land around station better suited to development. |
| Twinbrook Metro, Rockville: Build bike and pedestrian improvements on four roads, 26 intersections to station. |
| West Hyattsville Metro, Prince George’s County: Rebuild Ager Road and add bike lanes, light-emitting diode street lighting improvements on way to Metro station. |
“The current transportation system is severely overburdened and can barely accommodate current demand, let alone a 30 percent population increase over the next 30 years,” the draft application says. “It is imperative that strategic, cost-effective solutions be implemented to ease the burden on the system.”
Bike lanes and wider sidewalks could help fill the gaps to make it easier to get to those stations at minimal cost.
But some of the projects weren’t far enough along to be included in the application, said Planning Board Director Ronald Kirby. And ironically, two of the ones slated for Prince George’s County may still fall by the wayside this week, he said. “Ones that most need it are least able on a short turnaround,” he said.
Transportation officials also had hoped to include some projects with private developers. “You can’t get developers to sign on to things if they’re not ready,” he said.
The grant application seeks money for development-rich Arlington to get the region’s first separated “cycle track,” which means bike lanes running in both directions separated from vehicle traffic.
The most expensive component of the proposal is a $17.6 million project at the Forest Glen Metro to build an underpass for pedestrians and bikers to cross Georgia Avenue, which has been called Montgomery County’s most congested intersection. The money would pay for an elevator from Georgia Avenue to Metro, plus 10 Capital Bikeshare stations. The bike-sharing system has grown dramatically from the initial D.C. prototype, SmartBike D.C., with plans under way for stations to be added in Alexandria, Rockville and possibly College Park.
The seven projects cost $37.8 million in total, with $29.2 million sought from the federal grant and the remaining 23 percent covered by local matching funds.
The grant is the third round of competitive federal funding known as TIGER grants stemming from the federal stimulus package. The region won $58.8 million from the first round for bus improvements, but lost out on a grant to expand the bike-share system.
