Breakfast links: Last year’s record rainfall has proven to be a costly problem for roads
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Puddle in an alley near Logan Circle. by .lissa. used with permission.
Rain caused greater damage and higher costs on DC’s roads last year
DDOT spent $47 million on pothole repairs last year, plus thousands on settlements to drivers and pedestrians, but the city's road maintenence backlog still increased because heavy rain cut into the time crews could spend on road fixes. (Max Smith / WTOP)
The DC Housing Authority has a plan to refinance some of its public housing
The DCHA director told the Council that it will “address” 2,400 of the city's 8,000 public housing units over the next two years to try to make up for a lack of federal funding. DCHA does not have detailed plans yet, but does not intend to sell the units. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
The Metro late-night service compromise is falling apart
Montgomery County came out against a proposal to push back the Metro operating hours by 30 minutes. County Executive Marc Elrich said RideOn bus ridership would suffer if Shady Grove and Glenmont stations were not open at 5 am for connections to Metro and for bus throughways. (Faiz Siddiqui / Post)
More regional Congress members are against buying China-made Metro cars
Five House representatives from DC, Maryland, and Virgnia wrote to Metro GM Paul Wiedefeld urging him not to use a Chinese supplier for the 8000-series Metro cars over concerns about possible security and espionage risks. (Natalie Delgadillo / DCist)
The Circulator is free through March now
At the DC Streetcar's third anniversary celebration, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced free Circulator service through March and free Capital Bikeshare membership for veterans in DC. (Andrew Giambrone / Curbed)
DC ousts the operator of one of the city’s new homeless shelters
The DC Department of Human Services cancelled its contract with Life Deeds, which ran the day-to-day operations of the Horizon shelter in Ward 7, after it turns out the company falsified employee paperwork including background checks. (Morgan Baskin / City Paper)
A driver killed a pedestrian near near I-495 in Fairfax County
A 72 year-old who lived in Falls Church was crossing a Beltway on-ramp from Leesburg Pike in the Tysons area when they were killed by a hit-and-run driver. (Dana Hedgpeth and Justin Wm. Moyer / Post)
Arlington approves affordable housing at the American Legion post
The County Board approved a proposal from the American Legion and the Arlington Partnership for Affordable Housing to convert the old American Legion Post 139 into 160 units of affordable housing with the American Legion on the ground floor. (Jeff Clabaugh / WTOP)
New sidewalks in Tysons Corner could boost walkability
Tysons has an opportunity to use new sidewalk construction to connect people to public transit by foot, carve up massive “superblocks” into shorter trips, and link existing pedestrian paths together and expand walkability in the area. (D. Taylor Reich / Tysons Reporter)
One of DC’s least-loved government agencies is trying to be more transparent
The Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) unveiled a searchable online database for permits, plans and pending applications, as well as dashboard of organization statistics. Only a few years worth of permits are available now, and critics say that the statistics don't provide any real accountability. (Nena Perry-Brown / Urban Turf)
Virginia will put state funding behind Alexandria’s sewer project
Virginia will give Alexandria $25 million to help replace its old sewer system and drastically reduce sewage runoff into the Potomac by 2025. The state funds will cover a small part of the estimated $350 million project. (Jacob Fenston / WAMU)
Former DDOT official Sam Zimbabwe is confirmed as Seattle’s transportation director
Sam Zimbabwe was confirmed unanimously to head Seattle's transportation department where he will manage city's streetcar and its bus lane and bike path backlog. GGWash's David Alpert says he will get things done, even if it's slower than advocates like. (Heidi Groover / Seattle Times)
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