Currently, motorists pay up to two dollars, each way, to use the Dulles Toll Road. But the one-way toll along the highway could climb to as high as $19.25 by 2040, reports Kytja Weir. more ›

This has been in the works for some time, but now it's official: the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Board of Directors unanimously approved a plan today to raise rates on the Dulles Toll Road, WTOP's Adam Tuss reports. Starting Jan. 1, the toll at the main gate will increase from 75 cents to $1, while tolls at the off ramps will go up from 50 to 75 cents. Tolls will increase an additional 25 cents in 2011, and again in 2012. Revenue from the toll increase will go toward building the Silver Line. more ›

Good morning, Washington. It looks like California's still on fire, and likely to remain so. Most versions of the aforelinked AP story include the phrase "firefighters all but concede defeat," and the Post is calling the resulting evacuation the largest in modern history. It all sounds pretty grim. Good luck, West Coast. Yet More Stadium Parking Controversy: The Post reports on the latest in a seemingly neverending series of deliberations over parking at the... more ›

>> Given how notoriously bad our area's traffic is, nothing is more frustrating than rubberneckers who slow down to stare at every blow out and speeding ticket they pass. This morning along the Dulles Toll Road, however, they had something legitimately interesting to look at. $5 bucks says she names the kid Hunter. [NBC4] >> Teenage mutant ninja whippets. Bullies on the half shell. Puppy power! [International Herald Tribune] >> If you live in... more ›

Good morning, Washington. We pestered you yesterday about your Memorial Day plans. Today, a word of warning: make sure they don't include flip-flops. As FOX5 helpfully warns us, the sandals can lead to sprains, broken bones or even the dreaded Flipflop-Induced Foot Failure Syndrome (aka FIFFS). We had no idea we were in such peril. Bad Day For Bobb: Yesterday the U.S. Senate unanimously approved Mayor Fenty's school takeover plan. Rest assured, we'll have... more ›

Don't panic, Washington! You didn't in fact leap ahead an entire month when changing your clocks on Sunday. A mere week after temperatures dipped into the low 30's, today we can expect the mercury to hit an unseasonably high 70 degrees, with tomorrow getting even warmer. Why not walk to work and avoid soaring gas prices? Oh, that's right. more ›

Damn alarms. We're a little late on flipping through our newspaper this morning, so stay tuned as we live-blog the news. 9:29 a.m.: Since Adrian Fenty doesn't already have enough to do, he'll be fielding questions in an online chat over at the Post at 11 a.m. We'd like to know how he can spend the time keeping his head so nicely shorn when we're still trying to balance sleep, work, and shaving once... more ›

And a happy Friday morning to you, Washington. Heads up: Metro's Yellow Line from King Street to Mt. Vernon Square will not be running this weekend due to track maintenance starting tonight at 10 p.m. Folks will be forced off at King Street, and those going between Mt. Vernon Square and L'Enfant Plaza will be forced to ride the Green Line. Things are expected to be running back on schedule by Monday morning. Large Part... more ›

Looks like Butterstick has some competition right around the corner -- formerly confined to the indoors, today the National Zoo will unleash their four-and-a-half month old sloth bear cub into natural sunlight, according to WTOP. We see some joint merchandising opportunities arising, like Butterstick and Baby Sloth Bear visors, water bottles, and stuffed animals. Network of Animal Hospitals to Help Detect Bioterrorism: How will you know if a bioterrorism attack is occurring? Look for... more ›

The Washington Post reports that Virginia Governor Tim Kaine spent yesterday trying to track down the traffic that plagues the region. As part of an effort to build public support for his transportation policies, Kaine drove from Richmond to D.C. and spent the day at various locales around the city. The Post notes that his timing was poor; but for a slowdown near the Pentagon and later on I-66, the Governor sailed along. As a result, the Virginia House has recommended cutting taxes and halting all transportation spending until roads have deteriorated to the point that they're busy again. more ›

The debate now seems to be settled -- Maryland has the worst drivers out there. According to the Washington Times, last month alone Marylanders were responsible for 64 percent of the traffic violations caught on the District's traffic cameras, while D.C. residents accounted for 20 percent, Virginia 9 percent and all other states 7 percent. Of course, we are just kidding that this number may say something about Maryland's drivers. Some of them seem... more ›

Good morning, Washington. In a move designed to counter Virginia's proposal to allow a private company to manage the Dulles Toll Road, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority yesterday bid to take control of the corridor, including plans to develop rail service to Dulles International Airport. MWAA's interest is considered serious, given its ownership of the land on which the toll road rests, and airport officials believe that the completion of rail service to Loundon County, which is currently planned for 2015, could be achieved faster under their administration. more ›

The city has in recent days been particularly crowded by troops of Boy Scouts in full uniform, as pictured by brownpau at right. Bearing merit badges celebrating everything from fishing to cinematography, agribusiness to dog care, more than 40,000 Boy Scouts from around the country arrived in the area to celebrate the 10-day National Scout Jamboree in Bowling Green, Va., near Fredricksburg. In tragic news, four adult Boy Scout leaders from Alaska were killed yesterday... more ›

They might not be chaining themselves to doors or laying across roadways, but certain Virginia residents have resorted to protest in response to a toll increase along the Dulles Toll Road in Loudoun County, Va. The toll, which increased by 25 cents yesterday, is being funneled toward paying for Virginia's share of the $4 billion Dulles Rail Project, which seeks to extend Metrorail's Orange line out to Dulles International Airport. Landowners Opposed to Wasteful Expenditures... more ›

Although activists might have complained and created a protest website and the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors voted to oppose the toll increase on the Dulles Toll Road, it was to no avail. The Post reports that the toll increase has been approved, increasing the maximum toll possible to $1.25 from $.85. The money would be use to help fund an extension of the Orange Line to Dulles Airport. The Virginia transportation secretary noted that... more ›

Any blogger worth their salt should know that the -ist family's executive editor, Jen Chung, loves pandas. So Jen, here you go. We know you can't see pandas at the Bronx Zoo (but there are red pandas there -- our red pandas here in D.C. died after eating rat poison buried in their enclosure), so here's the next best thing. We're sure pandas in their natural habitat don't have to deal with the construction... more ›

The Post reports this morning that some commuters using the Dulles Toll Road are irked by their late entry into discussions over a proposed toll hike that would go toward paying for metrorail's introduction to the Tysons-Dulles corridor. According to the Post "[i]t wasn't until this week that the motoring public specifically was invited to weigh in on the toll increase." more ›

In his budget delivered to Congress, President Bush has given an important endorsement of WMATA's plan to build an extention through Tyson's Corner. The agency that oversees such matters has given the rail line from the West Falls Church station to Wiehle Avenue in Fairfax County a "recommended" rating. Considering ridership projections and cost-effectiveness, as the Post reports, the rating makes the project "eligible for 50 percent federal funding." But drivers of the Dulles Toll... more ›

Expanding Tyson's Corner: Wow. There's been a lot of regional planning news lately. First, local leaders met at a local planning gathering equipped with Lego blocks and maps trying to figure out how to accommodate 2 million more people in the area in the next 25 years. Second, the Post reports on how Tyson's Corner Center (where we snagged this image) is seeking to expand, transforming its regional shopping mall cluster into a giant built-up... more ›

Councilmembers Irked by Reports of Money Spent on Baseball Consultants: WTOP reports that members of the D.C. Council are pressing for an investigation of the alleged use of baseball consultants by the mayor's office during the stadium-financing controversy. WTOP was the first to report on the matter through a massive Freedom of Information Act request. WTOP has also learned that the District has been paying the travel expenses of several California-based contractors. Two of them... more ›

Landowners in Tysons Corner, Virginia are drooling over the development opportunities which an extension of the Metro might bring to their area. The federal government approved earlier this summer $59 million to conduct the engineering to plan an 11-mile Metrorail extension, which would run from Falls Church through Tysons Corner and then along the Dulles Toll Road to Wiehle Avenue. The extension, which could open as soon as 2009, would be the first part of... more ›