Blue Line Loop for D.C. Metro endangered by VDOT plan

VDOT Wilson bridge toll lane idea should be rejected; it adds meaningful cost and project design hurdles to a future WMATA Metrorail Blue Line Loop.

Author

Gordon Chaffin
June 17, 2024

Sponsored by

Back to Basics on Toll Lanes Now vs. Transit Later on Wilson Bridge

On Thursday, D.C.’s metropolitan planning organization will consider (Item 7) a plan to add toll lanes on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge connecting Alexandria with National Harbor and southern Prince George’s County. The span was built in 2008 with structural supports, utility prep, and additional deck area for future rail transit. VA’s transportation department wants to use that space instead to add toll lanes managed by a private vendor as part of the Commonwealth’s ongoing “widen and toll” strategy with Public-Private Partnerships. Let’s go back to basics: VDOT’s Wilson bridge toll lane concept should be rejected because it adds meaningful cost and project design hurdles to a future WMATA Metrorail Blue Line Loop. The “BLOOP” could deliver inclusive, transit-oriented growth for Southern Prince George’s County and D.C.’s Ward 8.

Advocacy opportunities on D.C. local issues - Week of June 17, 2024

Virginia says toll lanes won’t stop future Metrorail, but WMATA is dubious

High-volume rail transit improvements between D.C. and Northern Virginia — the stuff that will attract people out of their cars — hinge on upgrades to several bridges crossing the Potomac River and at least one new tunnel.

Inter-city passenger rail improvements are promising due to a Long Bridge project with significant national attention. The Long Bridge, from Arlington to D.C., is a very old rail bridge carrying lots of passenger rail traffic and meaningful freight tonnage on the East Coast. A project well into design and fundraising for construction will more than double train capacity from two to four tracks and upgrade operations, making it possible for VRE, AMTRAK, MARC, and other passenger rail to deliver much better services.

Last week, I wrote that “successful infrastructure projects require deference to diverse coalitions.” The Long Bridge upgrades – a nationally important “megaproject” receiving federal infrastructure law dollars – have generated a strong coalition because the project improves freight transportation (i.e. business appeal), passenger rail services (i.e. transit rider/commuter appeal), and includes a new bike/walk bridge connecting Arlington’s Long Bridge Aquatic Center in dense-housing-filled Crystal City with D.C.’s East Potomac Park (i.e. urbanist and climate change fighting appeal). The “side-car” ped/bike bridge is not as wide as advocates wanted it, and air rights issues in Washington Channel prevented a connection to The Wharf, but this big infrastructure project has everyone on board.

Compare the Long Bridge to the in-development projects to widen and reconstruct the American Legion Bridge (Bethesda to McLean). The project takes an end-of-useful-life bridge and has MDOT and VDOT widening the deck area in the new bridge to include more vehicle lanes. Some of those lanes would be reserved for toll lanes meant mostly to “relieve congestion.” Transit or bike/walk benefits are limited to one-time payments to nearby projects or small recurring payments to nearby transit services and local agencies operating trails or bike lanes. 10-to-1 or 20-to-1 are the approximate spending ratios on car stuff vs. transit and bike/walk stuff. Transit buses could use the toll lanes for free, but that’s not a meaningful monetary benefit compared to the multiple billion dollar capital costs of the project.

This Thursday, D.C.’s regional transportation planning board (“TPB”) will vote on whether or not to bless a widen-and-toll, 8- to 12-lane project on the 16-year-old Woodrow Wilson Bridge (ALX to Nat’l Harbor), based on a brand new concept study. The project would use space previously reserved for transit for car lanes and endorsing it this week adds it to a list of capital transport projects that get rubber-stamp consideration of future design and construction money from federal, state, and local sources.

So far, the Wilson Bridge toll lane study doesn’t meaningfully consider non-widening solutions to traffic congestion. The study assumes an inexorable “overall regional mode shift to personal single-occupancy vehicles” (Figures 7, 8, 9). In other words, transit in the D.C. region will in the future serve fewer people, and our infrastructure design should be ready to deal with more car drivers. But, that’s the inverse of how residents behave: we design infrastructure, and then, only therefore, people make travel mode decisions on the margin.

We decide tomorrow on using a car vs. transit and/or an e-bike based on the trade-offs of infrastructure systems we build today. If decision-makers on transportation invest in more car stuff today instead of direct short- and long-term transit investments, residents will stick with their cars. This week's vote and decisions like it on project design and funding prevent the modeshift that permanently “fixes” traffic congestion and forego investments in land-use changes that rectify regional imbalances in housing affordability and job locations. It’s notable that VDOT didn’t study tolling/road pricing of the pre-existing eight lanes of Wilson Bridge roadway capacity. 

VDOT and pro-road expansion groups in the DMV claim that widening and tolling on Wilson doesn’t prevent heavy rail transit from coming in the future. The agency said so in an April 30 letter to TPB and the pro-road expansion NoVa Transportation Alliance said so in a call-to-action alert last week. The NoVA Transportation Authority – a pseudo-governmental funding and regional coordinating body – supported the Wilson Bridge toll idea in a June 13 letter. 

WMATA is dubious of VDOT’s claims that using the space reserved for transit when constructing the bridge will not meaningfully hamper Metrorail. Metro’s May 31 letter on Wilson toll lanes had many unanswered concerns. I sent technical questions and sought comment from WMATA, who responded, "Metro strongly supports transit investments in the I-495 corridor, including near-term bus service and preserving right-of-way for future high-capacity transit along I-495 and across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge." In short, WMATA doesn’t agree with VDOT’s claim that their toll lane concept preserves viable bridge surface area for transit and the state DOT isn’t walking the talk so far on near-term bus service upgrades within the potential toll lanes.

In response to my inquiry, VDOT said that “any alternative recommended as part of VDOT’s 495 Southside Express Lanes Study would not preclude Metrorail from being implemented across the Woodrow Wilson Bridge in the future.” Their project concept rendering shows Metrorail replacing one toll lane in each direction, which is not shown to scale or with fleshed-out designs. It is improbable that WMATA could run Metrorail within a single 12-13-foot vehicle travel lane and maybe a few more feet of buffer. Most likely, WMATA would need the full 25-30 feet in each direction – or all of the toll lane space in each direction.

VDOT’s statement said the agency “would memorialize this provision [“preserving” possibility of rail transit] in the documentation described in the letter, as well as in any potential project agreement.” The transportation department is asking our trust that they can lease the transit space to a tolling company with investors eyeing decades of potential revenue and that this “concessionaire” would forego many more decades of that toll money to give most of their bridge space back to WMATA for the Blue Line Loop. That seems unlikely.
In addition to WMATA and VDOT, I sent media inquiries to the Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance and the Coalition for Smarter Growth. I communicated with both on background to fill details into this story.

Notable and Timely Public Meetings

  • June 18: Brookland Neighborhood Civic Association ft. potential public library sites in Brookland/Edgewood [Virtual | 7 PM]

  • June 20: D.C. Council debates updates about downtown tax abatements and “clean hands” fee/fine debt waivers [testify live or via written submission | 10 AM]

  • June 20: City of Falls Church, VA Community Meeting in re East/West Pedestrian and Bicycle Connection between W&OD Trail and Secondary Schools Campus [In-Person, 6 PM]

  • Video recording of 6/10 kickoff meeting of one-year “DMV Moves” study organized by D.C.’s metro planning organization (goal is to find a greater, more financially sustainable way to fund multimodal transportation, including saving WMATA from its 2028 fiscal cliff)

As a veteran newsletter creator, I’m choosing Beehiiv over Substack or Mailchimp

2024 is here. It’s time to transform your newsletter goals into reality with beehiiv. 

Born from the minds behind Morning Brew, beehiiv offers an intuitive, no-code platform that simplifies newsletter creation and website design. Equip yourself with advanced growth tools, monetization strategies, and analytics that matter. 

Trusted by the world's leading newsletters, beehiiv is not only top-tier but also the most wallet-friendly option available. 

Begin your free trial today — no credit card, no hassle.