Michael Laris

Washington, D.C.

Transportation reporter

Education: Stanford University, BA in political science

Michael Laris writes about the transformation of the U.S. transportation system. He has covered government accountability and was a reporter in Beijing.
Latest from Michael Laris

China shut down foreign adoptions. This family doesn’t want to give up.

The Maryland couple has been waiting years to bring home the girl they planned to adopt. She was 8 when they started the process. She’s now 13.

September 17, 2024
Colin Pitts and Fan Pat of Montgomery County, Md.

Used hypodermic needles shut beaches in Md., Va. to swimmers

Maryland officials closed Assateague State Park to swimming or any other activities in the ocean. The Assateague Island National Seashore, both in Maryland and Virginia, prohibited swimming along ocean-facing beaches. Delaware was also impacted.

September 16, 2024
Jay Spear, 7, left, and Liam McGowan, 7, of Herndon, Va., play in the waves in Ocean City, Md., in September 2022.

Billion-dollar deficits, drastic cuts: Metro faces fiscal catastrophe

Metro is in a financial crisis, threatening the D.C. region’s quality of life. Repeated operating deficits of up to a billion dollars are looming.

August 9, 2024

Maryland officials push Congress to fully fund Key Bridge rebuilding

Lawmakers from Maryland urged Congress to cover the full cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Key Bridge, as some Republicans raised questions about funding levels Wednesday.

July 10, 2024
A ship passes by the remnants of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on June 11.

$50 million Key Bridge cleanup contract approved in Maryland

Maryland’s Board of Public Works voted on a contract for clearing debris from the Patapsco River after the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge.

July 3, 2024
A fishing boat passes the wreckage of the Key Bridge on the Patapsco River on June 10, as seen from Sparrows Point, Md.

Ship arrives in Virginia three months after destroying Baltimore bridge

The National Transportation Safety Board also issued an investigative update on the cause of the Dali’s power problems as the ship headed to Norfolk for repairs.

June 25, 2024
The container ship Dali passes under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge on Monday, headed to Norfolk for repairs.

A moment of triumph at Port of Baltimore — and reminder of lives lost

Officials gathered Wednesday to mark the reopening of the port’s shipping channel, and to take stock of the tragedy that destroyed the bridge.

June 12, 2024
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, center, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), right, prepare for a news conference to announce the full reopening of the federal channel to the Port of Baltimore in Dundalk, Md., on Wednesday.

Inside the massive cleanup effort to reopen Baltimore’s shipping channel

Officials used a three-step plan at Baltimore’s Key Bridge site to clear the river of debris and fully reopen the shipping channel to the port.

June 12, 2024

Baltimore shipping channel fully reopens after massive cleanup

With wreckage from the Key Bridge cleared, the original 700-foot wide and 50-foot deep shipping channel opened Monday, boosting hopes for an economic revival.

June 10, 2024
Cranes and work vessels surround the wreckage of the Key Bridge in the Patapsco River on Monday.

Two adults, one child fatally struck on train tracks in Springfield, Va.

Fairfax County police said two adults and one child were struck by a train while they were walking on the tracks at Accotink Park Road on Wednesday night.

June 6, 2024