Breakfast links: Snow daze
Winter is coming
Snow should start falling today around noon to 2 pm. Schools are closed, though DC and federal employees must work until noon. (Post)
Transit shutting down
Metro will shut down at 11 pm today, and stay closed on Saturday and Sunday. Most Metrobus routes are already suspended, and the few that run today will end at 5 pm. Other local rail and bus services are running today and will shut down later in the day. (GGWash, Post) … Taxis will cost more. (NBC4)
Bowser will stomp this snow
DC Mayor Muriel Bowser apologized for the poor preparation for Wednesday night, but said the city is prepared for the big one. (City Paper) … DC will, however, not fine anyone who doesn’t shovel sidewalks. (WAMU)
How 1 inch of snow was so bad
A perfect storm of problems on Wednesday made Washington area roads terrible, despite only 1 inch of snow. One of several contributing factors: bad suburban road design. (Vox, GGWash)
Paid leave in limbo
It’s hard to predict how much DC’s paid family leave bill would cost. The DC Council is now tweaking the bill to try to better balance benefits and costs for employees, employers, and the city. (City Paper)
I-66 HOT mess
A recent traffic study illustrates just how complicated traffic along I-66 is. Existing HOV lanes do a lot to increase carpooling but single occupancy vehicles still make up a sizable amount of commuting vehicles. (Post)
Alexandria’s transportation funding
In 2011, Alexandria increased property taxes to help pay for transportation projects, but only 11% of that tax revenue is going toward those projects. Instead, the funds are covering transportation operations and Alexandria’s contribution to WMATA. (Alexandria News)
New building at UDC
The University of the District of Columbia finally opened its new student center, its first new building in building in 40 years. The building is slated to become one of only two LEED Platinum student centers in the country. (DCist)