Metro seeks public input on proposal to reconstruct Bladensburg Bus Garage

Metro is proposing to rebuild and modernize the Bladensburg Bus Garage in northeast Washington, D.C. The facility is one of Metro’s oldest bus garages and is now obsolete after serving nearly 60 years as a bus operations and maintenance facility.

The new layout of the garage will increase the size of the site approximately one acre and create two separate entrances for buses and employee vehicles. The state-of-the-art garage will hold 300 buses, including 200 spaces for 40-foot-long buses and 100 spaces for articulated buses. An additional 560 spaces will be provided for employee vehicles and on-site employee parking.

The public is encouraged to provide feedback on the proposal online or in person by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 20, 2019:

• Provide your written comments here
• Attend the Open House at 6:00 p.m. and Public Hearing at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 10, at MPD District 5 Substation, 1805 Bladensburg Road NE, Washington, D.C.

To accommodate the larger garage and two entrances requires Metro acquire three adjacent properties on 28th Street. The entrance for the bus garage will also be relocated from its current location to a point further north on Bladensburg Road.

Public feedback will be provided to the WMATA Board of Directors for approval in late 2019. If approved, property acquisition along 28th St NE, a closure of a cul-de-sac on Douglas St NE, and a nearby temporary bus and employee parking lot would be necessary for construction of the facility.

HOW TO REGISTER TO SPEAK AT THE PUBLIC HEARING

All organizations or individuals desiring to be heard with respect to the proposal will be afforded the opportunity to present their views and make supporting statements and to offer alternative proposals. Public officials will be allowed five minutes each to make their presentations. All others will be allowed three minutes each. Relinquishing of time by one speaker to another will not be permitted.

In order to establish a witness list, individuals and representatives of organizations who wish to be heard at the public hearing are requested to furnish in writing their name and organization affiliation, if any, via email to speak@wmata.com. Please submit only one speaker's name per request. Lists of individual speakers will not be accepted. The request may also be made by calling the Office of the Secretary at 202-962-2511.

HOW TO SUBMIT WRITTEN STATEMENTS

Testimony may be submitted online at wmata.com/plansandprojects through Friday, September 20, 2019 at 5 p.m. This is in addition to your ability to speak at a public hearing. For those without access to computers or internet, testimony may also be mailed to the Office of the Secretary, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, 600 Fifth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001. All comments must be received by the Office of the Secretary by 5 p.m. on Friday, September 20, 2019 to be included in the public record.

Comments received by the Office of the Secretary, along with the online submissions and public hearing comments, will be presented to the WMATA Board of Directors and will be part of the official public hearing record. Please note all statements are releasable to the public upon request, and may be posted on WMATA’s website, without change, including any personal information provided.

For additional information go to wmata.com/plansandprojects.