3 months ago
WASHINGON, DC (WUSA) -- Bob Marbourg did his best on Monday trying to do what he always does and deflect the attention away from himself and back to the subject that is usually on his mind: traffic.
Still, his friends, co-workers at WTOP Radio, and reporters interested in Bob's story, were having none of it. They think 30-years behind the microphone covering traffic in the Nation's Capital is an important milestone. They did their best to focus on Marbourg's accomplishment and even presented Bob a cake.
The New York native and Vietnam veteran came to Washington in the 1970s. Always interested in traffic and traffic reporting, he struck up a friendship with Walt Starling, then the airborne traffic reporter at WASH-FM. Before long Marbourg became Starling's fill-in traffic reporter.
When Metro Traffic Control opened its Washington, DC office in the late 1970s, Bob was the main traffic anchor and operations manager.
On November 15, 1979 the WTOP traffic plane crashed into a in Vienna, Virginia. Traffic reporter Steve Thompson was seriously injured. The next day WTOP brought in Marbourg to take over traffic reporting duties, which he has done ever since.
Bob Marbourg has seen a lot of changes in the area's traffic since the 1970s. A lengthy delay that might be considered a bad rush hour back then is often the norm today.
The very definition of rush hour has also changed. It used to be just two hours in the morning and two hours in the afternoon. Now it can last most of the day.
The one place that Marbourg sees a clear improvement in the decades that have passed is the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. He says the new bridge has delivered what was promised and ended the regular daily delays crossing the Potomac on I-95.
Written by Dave Statter9NEWS NOW & wusa9.com
