A live interview with DC Streetcar Spokesperson Dara Ward prior to the press conference.

DC Breaking Local News Weather Sports FOX 5 WTTG

Mayor Gray, Councilmember Cheh and DDOT Director Terry Bellamy are all featured in this next clip.

5/1/2013

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray welcomed the second of three vehicles that will form the District’s streetcar fleet to the D.C. Streetcar Anacostia Testing and Commissioning Site today. The vehicles will start a post-delivery testing phase before making their way to the H Street/Benning Road NE corridor this fall to begin regular service on the District’s first streetcar line in more than 50 years.

“The moving of the District’s three streetcar vehicles to this site marks a significant milestone for the D.C. Streetcar program and District residents,” Mayor Gray said. “This is a major step toward implementing a new streetcar system, helping us expand options for public transportation in the District – major goals of my One City Action Plan and my Sustainable DC initiative.”

Mayor Gray continued, “D.C. Streetcar is also looking to hire their first eight operations and maintenance employees – the first new hires in what will be many jobs created, both directly and indirectly, by the revival of streetcars in the District of Columbia for the first time in half a century.”

Construction at the site in Anacostia has been underway since September to prepare for the arrival of the District’s three streetcar vehicles. The first vehicle was delivered yesterday, April 30, and the third will be delivered tomorrow, May 2. The vehicles have been in storage at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)’s Greenbelt facility for just over three years.

“We’re excited to start the post-delivery testing phase,” said District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Terry Bellamy. “Testing will be conducted by engineers from WMATA and Inekon, the company that manufactured the vehicles.”

Vehicle testing ensures that all components of the system are working together as they were designed to do – from the overhead catenary system lines that will help power the streetcars to the traction-power substation and the vehicle’s pantograph.

Once testing concludes, the vehicles will be officially released to DDOT’s operations and maintenance team, RATP Dev McDonald Transit (RDMT). The vehicles will be operated and maintained in Anacostia until this fall, when DDOT plans to move them to the H/Benning corridor to start certification on the Union Station to Oklahoma Avenue line. Each line must be certified individually as it joins the D.C. Streetcar system. Similar to vehicle testing, certification involves testing each component of the line to verify its safety prior to the start of passenger service.

RDMT, working through The Midtown Group, is looking to hire their first eight team members in May and June. Information regarding a May 14 job fair can be found at dcstreetcar.com/connect/employment/.

Visit dcstreetcar.com for more information on the D.C. Streetcar program.

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Follow Mayor Gray on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow Mayor Gray on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MayorVinceGray and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MayorGray

4/8/2013

(Washington, DC)  Released today, the Benning Road Streetcar Extension Feasibility Study examines the planning and engineering feasibility of extending streetcar service east of the Anacostia River in northeast Washington. This proposed line would pick up from where the H Street/Benning Road line, from Union Station to Oklahoma Avenue, terminates and extend to either the Minnesota Avenue or Benning Road Metrorail stations. Findings from this study will inform an upcoming environmental process.

The study addresses how the physical characteristics of the area might either help or hinder the project and various planning considerations, answering questions like:

• What is the estimated ridership?
• Where could the stops be located?
• How will extending the streetcar line impact on-street parking?
• Will the three bridges the streetcars need to cross support the weight of a fully loaded vehicle?
• What will the impacts be on traffic in the area?

The study also identifies resources that will need further investigation to determine what affect may be expected with the arrival of streetcar. These resources include historic properties, parks, parklands, hazardous material sites, and areas potentially sensitive to noise and vibrations during construction. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans to kick-off an environmental document this summer to further study these resources. The environmental document will also help determine a preferred alignment and whether the extension will end at the Minnesota Avenue or Benning Road Metro station.

“We are excited with the outcome and recommendations provided in this study,” commented Ronaldo “Nick” Nicholson, DDOT Chief Engineer. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with the community and businesses during the upcoming environmental process. There will be opportunities for input and comments during the study and we are excited about the possibilities.”

The proposed extension would provide a high-capacity and sustainable premium transit option to:

• Connect Ward 7 neighborhoods with employment and activity centers west of the river;
• Provide connections to the regional Metrorail system and to multimodal transportation services at Union Station;
• Provide additional transit capacity to relieve crowded bus lines; and
• Support neighborhood plans for activity centers at the Minnesota Avenue/Benning Road intersection and elsewhere along the corridor.

Visit dcstreetcar.com for more information on the DC Streetcar program.

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3/28/2013

(Washington, DC) Construction work along H Street/Benning Road to ready the corridor for DC Streetcar continues. Phase 1 of the Western Turnaround work is set to begin on Monday, April 1 and continue through mid-June. The Western Turnaround refers to the extension of the streetcar tracks from 3rd Street, NE to the top of the Hopscotch Bridge. Elements include construction of a streetcar platform where passengers may board or leave the streetcars with access to Union Station and tracks to allow the streetcar to reverse course and proceed eastbound through the corridor.

Traffic and parking restrictions and changes are as follows:

• I Street, currently one-way east, will be made two-way from 3rd Street to 5th Street, continuing until October.

• The 800 block of 3rd Street, between H and I Streets, will be restricted to local traffic only. Entrance to and exit from this block of 3rd Street will be at I Street only.

• The 700 block of 3rd Street, between G and H Streets, also will be restricted to local traffic only. Entrance to and exit from this block of 3rd Street will be at G Street only.

• Parking will be temporarily removed on 3rd Street between H and I Streets, except for spaces in front of the residences on the northeast portion of 3rd Street near I Street.

• No turns onto 3rd Street will be permitted from H Street.

As alternatives, motorists are encouraged to use 4th Street, which is one-way south, or 5th Street, which is two-way, to reach streets north and south of H Street to proceed to 3rd Street and other points west.

• Parking will be temporarily removed on H Street between 4th Street and the Hopscotch Bridge, eastbound and westbound.

• The Kaiser Permanente building and the Union Station loading dock will be right-in, right-out only. This is a permanent change.

Advance warning signs will be posted. The schedule is subject to change due to weather, material and equipment availability and other unforeseen conditions.

DDOT encourages all motorists to Stay Alert and follow all signs as they travel through this corridor.

More detailed construction related notices, including specific dates and locations, are available by request. Please send an email to construction@dcstreetcar.com and indicate you wish to receive H/Benning updates.

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Please visit goDCgo.com for more information on transportation options in the District

3/28/2013

CONTACT:

Doxie McCoy 202.727.9691; doxie.mccoy@dc.gov

Rob Marus 202.727.6853; robert.marus@dc.gov

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Mayor Vincent C. Gray today released his Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan. The $9.6 billion budget leverages the District’s strong financial position to make major investments in expanding affordable housing, strengthening education and workforce development, and safeguarding public safety without raising new taxes or fees.

“After two years of sometimes-difficult decisions made to strengthen our fiscal health and hard work to grow our economy, we are now in the position to begin investing for tomorrow and funding our priorities at a higher level,” Mayor Gray said. “This budget makes significant investments that will boost the quality of life for all District residents — including a historic investment in the expansion of affordable housing.”

The plan’s priorities include funding for affordable housing, school construction and modernization, expanded library hours and construction, bringing the Metropolitan Police Department to 4,000 officers, and investments in streetcars and bicycle infrastructure.

The budget has three overall goals consistent with the Mayor’s One City Action Plan: 1) Grow and Diversify the District’s Economy; 2) Educate and Prepare the Workforce for the New Economy; and 3) Improve the Quality of Life for All.

Improve the Quality of Life for All

The Mayor’s budget reflects $100 million in investments over Fiscal Years 2013 and 2014 to produce or preserve 10,000 units of affordable housing by 2020. These include:

• $86.9 million in the Housing Production Trust Fund – including $66.9 million in FY 2013 and $20 million in FY 2014;

• $13.1 million to fund the other recommendations of the Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force;

• A commitment to dedicating 15 percent of the District’s deed-recordation and -transfer taxes to the Housing Production Trust Fund on a recurring basis.

Educate and Prepare the Workforce for the New Economy

The Mayor’s budget makes major investments in public education and workforce development, including:

• Increasing investment in operating funds for public education (both traditional public and public charter schools) by $79.3 million;

• Increasing the local funds dedicated to the charter school facilities allotment by $7.4 million;

• A $162 million investment in construction and modernization of high schools, including the construction of Ballou High School, Dunbar High School, Ellington High School of the Arts, and Roosevelt High School and the modernization planning and design for Spingarn Career and Technical Education Center in FY 2014;

• The beginning of a $242 million investment over six years in modernizing all the District’s middle schools, including the construction of new Brookland and Shaw Middle Schools and complete modernization of the rest of DCPS’s middle schools;

• The first outlay – to the tune of $128 million in Fiscal Year 2014 – of a $920.5 million plan over six years for elementary-school modernization;

Grow and Diversify the District’s Economy

The budget proposal includes hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in development and infrastructure projects that will enable continued growth of the District’s economy, including:

• Up to $40 million for public infrastructure support as commercial firms redevelop the Skyland Shopping Center;

• An $18 million investment in the relocation of D.C. Water facilities from The Yards in the Capitol Riverfront area and transfer of land for a mixed-use development project;

• A $13 million investment to complete the environmental assessment of Poplar Point and prepare the land for transfer from the National Park Service to the District;

• A $622 million investment in building a new Frederick Douglass Bridge;

• And $32.4 million for Great Streets projects, including infrastructure and streetscape upgrades, in neighborhoods across the District.

The budget also funds other initiatives to improve the quality of life for District residents, including:

• Fully funding 4,000 sworn officers for the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD);

• $7.2 million MPD and $8 million Fire & Emergency Medical Services (FEMS) Department in FY 2013 for vehicle-fleet replacement initiatives;

• Replacing $27.9 million in lost federal funds to continue reforming the District’s Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program;

• The beginning of a $400 million, six-year investment in the District’s streetcar program and a $6.2 million annual operating subsidy – including completion of the District’s 1st streetcar line (Minnesota Avenue to Georgetown), completion of the engineering for the Anacostia Line and a study on adding additional north-south lines;

• A $16 million investment in the District’s bicycle infrastructure, including new bike lanes and trails, continued bike-friendly improvements to streetscapes, and the addition of 10 new Capital Bikeshare stations;

• A multi-million dollar investment in expanding, improving and renovating the District’s parks and recreation facilities and programs;

• Expanding hours and days of service to seven days a week at all the District’s public libraries, and investing in a major, $103 million renovation of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library as well as construction or renovation of libraries in Cleveland Park, the Palisades and Woodridge;

• Investing $15 million in the One City Fund, which will provide competitive grants of up to $100,000 a year to non-profit organizations in education, job training, health, services for seniors, the arts, public safety, and the environment;

• And pay raises for District employees – union and non-union alike – including, for most, the first raise they’ve had in between four and seven years.

Other Fiscal Year 2014 Proposed Budget and Financial Plan Highlights:

• Effects of federal sequestration “baked in” to the revenue estimate;

• Eliminates the tax on out-of-state municipal bonds;

• Repeals the Possessory Interest Tax on housing purchased under the Land Acquisition for Housing Development Opportunities (LAHDO) Program.

# # #

Follow Mayor Gray on Facebook and Twitter!

Follow Mayor Gray on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/MayorVinceGray and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/MayorGray

2/27/2013

(Washington, D.C.)  As road construction along the H Street/Benning Road corridor progresses, construction of a different type has been going on behind the scenes at dcstreetcar.com. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has unveiled a redesigned website for the DC Streetcar program.

“We are excited about this new website as it represents a key advancement that’s aimed at improving how we go about informing and engaging the community as we move forward ,” said Terry Bellamy, DDOT Director. “Anyone visiting dcstreetcar.com will be able to keep up with all facets of the program.”

In addition to a new design, the site features:

• Up to date information on:
  • Current Lines
  • Future Lines
  • Construction impacts
• A robust search tool
• An interactive event calendar
• Images and video (including current renderings of the Car Barn Training Center)
• Project libraries housing information from public meetings and study reports
• Latest news items featuring DC Streetcar

“This is just phase one,” commented Monica Hernandez, DDOT Acting Communications Director. “When we are closer to launching passenger service, we will add service-related information and resources.”

Visit dcstreetcar.com to peruse the new site and for more information on the DC Streetcar program.