January 2026 City Scoop: Washington D.C.
City Grill
Mike Voinis
Capital Region Office Leader
HNTB
Regional transit agencies are updating existing infrastructure rather than building large-scale projects, prioritizing improvements such as communications-based train control and exploring bus rapid transit connections to deliver capacity gains quickly and cost effectively, Voinis says. System optimization and state-of-good-repair programs “are performing well due to lower capital requirements and the ability to enhance customer experience quickly,” he adds.
The multipurpose stadium planned by the Washington Commanders football team is “driving conversations around multimodal connectivity and the role of Union Station as a regional gateway,” Voinis says. Aviation work is seeing “tremendous investment” as major projects are planned for Dulles and Reagan airports, he says. But market conditions “will largely hinge” on reauthorization of federal programs such as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is due to expire in September.
Still, Voinis says, “Opportunities for acceleration will emerge where project readiness aligns with available funding and innovative financing strategies.”
