The proposal for faster Metrobus service on 14th Street NW is moving forward, with Mayor Muriel Bowser scheduled to announce today that she is including $1.2 million for the limited-stop 59 line in her upcoming fiscal year 2018 budget proposal.
The prospect of limited-stop rush-hour service on 14th Street, one of the city’s two most crowded bus corridors, was first raised in a 2012 study from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority that proposed service between the Takoma and Federal Triangle Metrorail stations. Advocates made several unsuccessful pushes for implementation in the intervening years. But earlier this year, they secured support for the proposal from six D.C. Council members, paving the way for the mayor’s announcement.
The 59 would arrive every 15 minutes during morning and evening rush hour. Limited-stop service would supplement the existing 52, 53 and 54 lines, which wouldn’t change.
If the council approves the mayor’s budget allocation, funds will become available in October, in time for implementation during a scheduled round of Metrobus service adjustments in December.
