By Stephen Repetski (Editorial Board Alum) • January 14, 2021
A Metro project quietly shelved last year is about to make an attempted comeback in 2021. The agency has a new plan to make its train doors open automatically at stations again, beginning on the Red Line in January, and coming to the rest of the system later in the year.
With federal funds from the latest stimulus, Metro is planning to keep service steady for the next year; but officials say by 2022, without more cash they will hit a “service cliff.” Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, announced yesterday, could fit the bill. (Justin George / Post, Jordan Pascale / DCist)
The National Mall will be closed to the public on Inauguration day, along with miles of roads and more than a dozen Metro stations. Now federal officials are asking Virginia to shut down bridges that cross into downtown DC, though the decision is not yet final. (Emily Davies and Justin Jouvenal / Post)
The stations Metro is closing ahead of Inauguration Day include key transfer points Metro Center, Gallery Place and Union Station. Metro is urging people not to travel, but for those that have to transferring between lines will become challenging. (Jordan Pascale / DCist)
The Capitol isn’t the only place security officials are bolstering defenses. Both Maryland and Virginia’s statehouses are bracing for threats of extremist right-wing attacks as legislatures reconvene for 2021 sessions. (Dominique Maria Bonessi / DCist)
The owners of an Alexandria barbershop are asking the Planning Commission to approve their plans for a boarding house above the shop, with four bedrooms and a shared kitchen and laundry facility, for low-income men. (Vernon Miles / ALXNow)
It didn’t start with the siege of the Capitol: DC residents share the texture and challenges of life in the capital city over the past year, from coronavirus to political unrest to the fight for racial justice. (Post)
DC alleys have a storied history as a home for residents pushed to the margins. Today, alley life is being reinvigorated as the District’s housing crunch inspires creative thinking about where people can call home. (Audrey Hoffer / Post)
