TPB Awards Funding to 9 Local Projects

May 28, 2025

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) is our region’s metropolitan planning organization. TPB is charged with preparing plans and program for the region to receive federal funding.

At the May 2025 meeting, the TPB approved funding for 9 local planning projects through the Transportation Land-Use Connections Program and the Regional Roadway Safety Program. In total, the grant funds will provide $760,000 in consultant assistant to expand multimodal options and to improve the safety of all road users.

The project descriptions below are copied from the TPB’s news release published on May 21, 2025: TPB awards funding for 9 DMV-area projects promoting walking, biking, and roadway safety.

The five projects recommended for Transportation Land-Use Connections funding are described below:

Curbless Street Design Specification

District of Columbia, $100,000

The District is seeking to create more flexible pedestrian spaces for regular programming through curbless streets. The District aims to convert standard roads into pedestrian-oriented spaces and activating medium and high-density, mixed-use corridors. This project will create a 30% curbless street design specification to support this goal. The creation of a curbless street design specification was outlined in the Downtown Public Realm Plan and will advance the Downtown Action Plan and the upcoming Downtown Comprehensive Transportation Plan to prioritize safety and pedestrian access.

Montgomery County Capital Bikeshare Improvement Plan

Montgomery County, $80,000

Montgomery County requests funding to develop a strategy to evaluate existing bikeshare operations and provide recommendations for growing the existing bikeshare network. The project will focus on the MD 355 corridor from Rockville to Bethesda and will include long-term strategic planning, market research, data and financial analysis, and policy research. The project will serve as a long-range implementation and operation strategy and will identify long-term funding needs, revenue sources, prioritize current and future bikeshare locations, and equipment and personnel needs. The project will serve as a strategic guide to advance priorities for improving the Capital Bikeshare network and 2 will include short-term recommendations to improve internal operations and organization and longer-term strategies to be implemented by Montgomery County.

Northern Prince George’s East-West Bikeway (NPGEWB)

Prince George’s County, $80,000

Prince George’s County requests funding to study the feasibility of an 11-mile bike route consisting of shared use paths and on-road bikeways, as well as potential alternatives across northern Prince George’s Conty between Lanham and Lewisdale. This route will connect five existing shared-use paths, three of which are parallel to each other in north-south alignments. The proposed project will serve two MARC stations, two Metrorail stations and several Purple Line stations, and connect to the Washington, Baltimore, & Annapolis (WB&A), Folly Branch, Northeast Branch, Rhode Island Avenue Trolley Trail, and Northwest Branch Trails. It will provide access to multiple Major Activity Centers, the University of Maryland, commercial and employment sites, numerous residential neighborhoods and multifamily developments, and multiple parks and recreation centers.

Beauregard Trail Feasibility Study

Alexandria, $80,000

This project will produce conceptual designs and cost estimates for a trail on North Beauregard Street. Improvements may include, but not be limited to, a shared use path, new crosswalks or improvements to existing crosswalks, median islands, concrete improvements, signs, signals, and landscaping. This project will advance the AlexWest Small Area Plan to enhance connectivity for pedestrians and bicyclists through an off-road multi-use path on North Beauregard. The project will also support the City’s Alexandria Mobility Plan goals of creating a safe, comfortable walking and biking environment, making transit easier to use.

Westpark Drive Safety Project

Fairfax County, $100,000

This project will advance Fairfax’s Countywide Bicycle Master Plan through design of a protected bicycle facility on Westpark Dr in Tysons, VA. The project will bolster existing efforts to serve bicycle riders and improve pedestrian safety and will provide a direct connection to the Tysons Metrorail Station’s north entrance and the future Leesburg Pike Trail, which is a part of the National Capital Trails Network.

The four projects recommended for the Regional Roadway Safety Program include:

MARYLAND

Rollins-Twinbrook Complete Street Feasibility Study

City of Rockville, $80,000

This project will develop preliminary alternatives for redesigning Rollins Avenue and Twinbrook Parkway to support multimodal transportation, including bicycle lanes, pedestrian crossing improvements, traffic calming measures, bus stop enhancements, and wider sidewalks. The RollinsTwinbrook corridor is in a MWCOG Regional Activity Center and provides access to the Twinbrook Metrorail station, adjacent neighborhoods, a park and community center, commercial assets, bus stops, and the planned National Capital Trail Network trail and BRT line along MD 355. This project has a history of crashes, including 63 injury crashes over the past ten years.

VIRGINIA

Braddock Road Safety Improvements

City of Alexandria, $80,000

This project will develop conceptual design alternatives for safety improvements on Braddock Road between Quaker Lane and North Van Dorn Street in response to an increase of pedestrian traffic with many students walking between the updated Minnie Howard Campus of Alexandria City High School and the main campus. The project will include existing conditions analysis, traffic analysis, and community outreach. This project is listed in the City’s Complete Streets Five-Year Work Plan.

Central Annandale Pedestrian Safety Improvements at Tom Davis Drive

Fairfax County, $80,000

This project will develop engineering designs for permitting and construction for an innovative traffic calming project for Tom Davis Drive in Annandale. This county-managed street connects two major corridors and provides access to community and retail service assets. The project will develop designs for traffic calming measures such as protected bike lanes, painted meanders, and chicanes to enhance pedestrian and cyclist safety. The County is planning an asphalt mural project, developed in partnership with the surrounding community and businesses to create a culturally relevant sense of place and supplement the project’s traffic safety improvements. The census tract where the project is located has the highest rate of pedestrian fatalities in Fairfax County.

High School Pedestrian Safety Improvements Study

Prince William County, $80,000

This project will conduct a planning study to identify and prioritize locations near County high schools for safety improvements, based on data driven criteria including student population density in walksheds, crash reports, and traffic counts. The project will recommend proven pedestrian safety improvements to develop Safe Routes to Schools projects for implementation, as well as incorporation into the County’s Comprehensive Traffic Safety Action Plan.

More about Bikeshare expansion

Capital Bikeshare (CaBi) is a bicycle-sharing system that serves Washington, D.C., and neighboring Maryland and Northern Virginia counties and municipalities. Bikeshare provides an easy, affordable, green transportation option that complements walking and transit use and is itself a great way to get around. WABA promotes and is working to encourage the expansion of DMV bicycle sharing including via new Bikeshare stations at transit hubs, commercial and residential centers, and close to amenities.

More about Complete Streets

Complete Streets are streets designed to accommodate all users, and that prioritize historically underinvested modes of transportation like transit, walking, and biking. An incomplete street might lack adequate sidewalks, low-stress bike infrastructure, or safe and comfortable access to transit.

Effective Complete Streets policies change the way a jurisdiction plans and builds transportation infrastructure—sidewalks, low stress bike infrastructure, and transit should be included in any new or rebuilt street by default, rather than as an add-on when there's space or demand.

While most regional jurisdictions have a Complete Streets policy of some sort, they lack teeth and permit transportation departments to continue to build streets that put cars first and squeeze other modes into the margins.

More about Trails

Trails are the best. They are low-stress bike infrastructure, access to nature, parks, landmarks, and community gathering spaces all rolled into one.

WABA's trail advocacy is focused on connecting gaps in our region's trail network; ensuring existing trails are maintained and upgraded to meet current design standards; and expanding the network into underserved parts of the region.

More about Vision Zero

Done right, Vision Zero is a transformative approach to traffic safety and transportation planning. Developed in Sweden, it is built on two core principles: crashes are preventable, and the only acceptable number of deaths from traffic violence is Zero. It provides a clear framework for decision-making that prioritizes safety for everyone over speed and convenience for drivers.

DC launched a Vision Zero initiative in 2015, with surrounding jurisdictions following suit over the next few years.

While there have been laudable projects launched under the Vision Zero banner across the region, the adoption of Vision Zero programs have not been the transformational shift required to reverse the increase in deadly traffic violence.

WABA's Vision Zero advocacy focuses on using legislation and policy to permanently change they way decisions are made: requiring that transportation planning and engineering put safety over driver convenience in every decision.

More about Advocacy

WABA fights for a region where biking, walking and transit are the best ways to get around.

We educate policymakers and organize grassroots advocates for to speak up for safer places to bike and walk; and for laws and policies that protect people who are walking and biking, reduce dangerous driving, and facilitate changes to the built environment.