I-270 approaching the Beltway, as seen from the Bethesda Trolley Trail bridge over I-270 in North Bethesda. Image by by Adam Fagen used with permission.

Judge dismisses environmental lawsuit against Beltway, I-270 expansion

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit from environmental groups that sought to block further expansion of the Capital Beltway and I-270 on the basis of environmental harms. Presiding Judge Deborah K. Chasanow said the plaintiffs did not demonstrate violations of federal environmental law or that the Maryland Department of Transportation acted in an “arbitrary and capricious” way.  (Bryan P. Sears / MoCo360)  

Metro boosts train and bus service to accommodate cherry blossom crowds

To help accommodate “overwhelming” cherry blossom tourist crowds, Metro will be running extra trains and buses and has also announced plans to halt construction and track work for the next five weeks. “No one should take a car anywhere near the cherry blossoms,” said Metro’s General Manager Randy Clarke.  (John Gonzalez / ABC7)  

Fairfax County gives office-to-housing conversion the go-ahead

The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has approved plans to convert a three-story office building in Tysons into 55 one- and two-bedroom housing units. Ninety parking spaces will be converted into green space. Dittmar, the developer, has agreed to keep at least 66 parking spaces. Several residents opposed the reduction in parking, but the shift from office to residential is expected to decrease vehicle trips by 75 to 77 percent.  (Angela Woolsey / FFXNow)  

Reston review board approves apartment complex rebranding, despite neighborhood group opposition over “aesthetics”

The Reston Association’s Design Review Board granted preliminary approval to St. John’s Wood Apartments to rebrand as the Halstead Reston Apartments, with newly designed wayfinding signage. A Halstead Glen neighborhood group opposed the change, saying it lacks a “harmonious aesthetic” and has a name too similar to that of Halstead Glen.  (Fatimah Waseem / FFXNow)  

Federal judge dismisses lawsuit challenging DC’s nonresident voting law

Judge Amy Berman Jackson dismissed a lawsuit from seven DC residents via the Immigration Reform Law Institute that sought to prevent implementation of local DC voting rights for noncitizen immigrants. The judge called the lawsuit a “generalized grievance” and said the plantiffs’ “votes will not receive less weight or be treated differently than noncitizens’ votes.” The DC Council passed the DC Noncitizen Voting Act in 2022.  (Marisa Iati / Post)  

Federal government grants $568,000 to bicycle-pedestrian bridge in Twinbrook that will cross Metro tracks

The federal government has awarded Rockville $568,000 for a new bicycle-pedestrian bridge to connect Twinbrook to Rockville Pike. The bridge will traverse the Metro tracks; the community hasn’t had an at-grade track crossing since the Twinbrook Metro station was built in the mid-1980s.   (Suzanne Pollak / Montgomery Community Media)  

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