Breakfast links: Best laid plans
Phoning it in
The company running DC’s streetcar operations says they fired employees for using cellphones in violation of safety rules, not for trying to unionize. Federal labor officials will investigate the dispute. (Post)
Catching fire
Lighted handrails caught fire at two Silver Line stations earlier this month. WMATA has removed the problematic lighting at all new Silver Line stations and is working on a long-term fix with the construction contractors. (NBC News4)
Next in line
MDOT chief Pete Rahn thinks WMATA should hire a financial specialist as general manager and says Maryland may insist on using a new railcar purchase to replace older cars, instead of expanding the fleet. (WAMU)
New Montgomery road
Montgomery County has chosen a route for a four-lane extension of the Midcounty Highway between Gaithersburg and Clarksburg. Critics say the road will damage surrounding neighborhoods and the environment. (Post)
16th St detours
When DDOT starts work on the 16th St bridge it will create detours for many bus routes. Since the bridge at Military Rd will be closed the project will detour 10 buses on the D, E, and S lines. (Post)
What federal funding?
Federal transportation funding has dwindled with Congress’ refusal to raise the gas tax. While using general fund money is the most likely short-term solution, Congress has proposed a slew of other ideas. (Streetsblog)
Underground city
The network of tunnels under the U.S. Capitol and office buildings is its own small city. There are restaurants, offices, and even a transit system thanks to the Capitol Subway. (Untapped Cities)
Turn around
Recent improvements to signal and barrier technologies, like the Golden Gate bridge’s “zipper,” have made reversible traffic lanes a safe and efficient way to increase road capacity. (CityLab)
IB for DC?
A struggling Seattle high school recently embraced the International Baccalaureate program. After only two years, graduation rates are up 25 percentage points. Is the IB model transferable to DC? (Seattle Times)