The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) endorsed five initiatives – a variety of projects, programs, and policies found to have the most potential to improve the region’s transportation system – for further study and future incorporation into the region’s long-range transportation plans.

The initiatives that the TPB endorsed are:

• Optimized Regional Land-use Balance – Increase jobs and housing around underused rail stations and city centers with high-capacity transit. Build additional housing in the region to match employment projections.
• Regionwide Bus Rapid Transit and Transitways – Add bus rapid transit and transitways, and streetcar routes at various locations throughout the region. Improve pedestrian access to transit stations.
• Metrorail Capacity Improvements – Replace six-car trains with eight-car trains on all Metrorail lines. Add a second Rosslyn station, and a new rail line across the Potomac River connecting the District of Columbia and Virginia through Georgetown to Union Station. Improve bicycle and pedestrian access to rail stations.
• Employer-Based Travel Demand Management Policies – Develop policies to increase teleworking and the number of employees receiving transit and carpool subsidies. Increase the price for most of the parking for work trips.
• Regional Express Travel Network – Extend network of express toll lanes on existing highways and add new express bus service. These lanes would use dynamic tolls to maintain desired travel speeds and be free to carpoolers and transit vehicles.

“TPB’s endorsement of these initiatives is a milestone first step and will move the ideas closer to reality through encouraging further study by TPB member agencies and eventually inclusion into a future long-range transportation plan,” said TPB Chairman and City of Rockville Mayor Bridget Donnell Newton.

The five initiatives were recommended by a TPB task force from a set of 10 initiatives based on the results of a technical analysis which determined which of the ten initiatives had the most potential to improve regional transportation performance relative to the TPB’s current long-range transportation plan. The task force also considered other factors, including public support, implementation feasibility and costs, and an initiative’s ability to address the disparities in mobility and accessibility between the eastern and western parts of the region.

The TPB convened the task force to identify a set of projects, programs, and policies, beyond those in official plans that the region could implement to address long-term congestion and mobility challenges. The task force started with nearly 100 ideas, and narrowed them down to 10 initiatives. The analysis of the 10 initiatives indicated that each initiative had some potential to improve the performance of the regional transportation system and to address one or more of the region’s major transportation challenges.

MORE: View additional information on the Long-Range Plan Task Force and initiatives.