Rhythm of Metro Lines
With the new year comes a new hope for Metro development.
A Washington Post editorial finds growing support for light-rail development along the planned Purple Line, which would connect Bethesda and Montgomery County to New Carrollton and Prince George's County. The Post says that light rail, as opposed to bus rapid transit. Though the latter option would prove to be cheaper, light rail is favored as more likely to maximize ridership. Despite some opponents who argue that light rail might interrupt the Capital Crescent Trail between Bethesda and Silver Spring (see here for more on that debate), the Montgomery County Council is expected to endorse light rail later this month. It seems risky to presume any certainty about the Purple Line project, which has been little more than a twinkle in urban transit advocates' eyes for some 20 years now.
Meanwhile Paul Sieczkowski at Greater Greater Washington has outlined some future issues surrounding North Capitol development. Sieczkowski says that "Bloomingdale residents are concerned about increased traffic, as the area is already a bottleneck, pinched between parks, universities and cemeteries that have severed the street grids." Not a Bloomingdale resident myself, I couldn't say whether this is the case, but I have never heard any Bloomingdaliens bemoan the state of traffic or parking.
Nevertheless GGW highlights ways that the McMillan Sand Filtration and the Armed Forces Retirement Home development plans could be nudged toward transit-oriented development projects. Sieczkowski suggests streetcars and priority bus lanes along North Cap — but doesn't linger on these options. After all, if you're going to dream, dream big.
Photo by Pianoman75
On his heavy-rail wish list? A separate Red Line branch that would serve Bloomingdale and travel North Cap: "Alternating eastbound Red Line trains could split off after the New York Avenue station and service new stations before ultimately linking back up at Silver Spring." More intriguing is his proposal for the Brown Line, in which he tweaks the original fantasy plan put forth by fellow GGW blogger David Alpert.
The Brown Line seems like a worthy what-if. Hey, big dreamers: Could we also get another horizontal line to connect some of the stops along the vertical Red, Green/Yellow, and Brown Lines? With all the retail it has to offer, Columbia Heights ought to be at the center of a ring connecting Adams Morgan, Bloomingdale, and H Street NE. Come to think of it, this would invariably come to be known as the Drunk Line.