The Virginia Department of Transportation will study traffic volume over the Potomac River in an effort to determine where the most people and goods will cross as the region's population grows, according to a statement released by the agency on Tuesday. The study — scheduled for completion next spring —

“The state has failed to provide a fair share toward Dulles Rail from its Transportation Trust Fund, saddling Northern Virginians with nearly the entire cost of Phase 2,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. “Meanwhile, VDOT is channeling state funds to speculative and unnecessary rural highway projects.

A discussion on fostering development near Metro stations quickly turned into a pointed -- and, officials hope, constructive -- indictment of Prince George's County's planning and zoning process. The meeting was a response to a pair of bills that would have allowed developers to fast-track the development process for projects within a half-mile of Metro or Maryland Transit Authority stations. The bills were tabled after criticism that they would allow such projects to bypass public hearings. Many speakers said the public hearing process is not what slows projects down. Cheryl Cort, policy director for the Coalition for Smarter Growth, called the development process a "labyrinth."

Responding to the notion that people in the transit-friendly area could get around by means other than a car, Zoning Commission Chairman Anthony Hood said that no one rides a bike to the grocery store.

The operators of the 495 Express Lanes have set Saturday, Nov. 17 — five days before Thanksgiving — as opening day. The two new lanes in each direction spanning 14 miles between the Springfield interchange and the Dulles Toll Road will be E-ZPass only.