DDOT Construction Update – March 3 – March 18

Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) produces a list of alley, sidewalk and road paving projects it hopes to complete within the next two weeks, weather permitting. As roads are a tool used by bicyclists, the following are projects that may affect your bike commute.

Citywide Pavement Restoration Projects

Ward 3

  • Intersection of Connecticut Avenue NW and 24th Street NW

Ward 5

  • Rhode Island Avenue NE, between Newton Street NE and Monroe Street NE
  • Rhode Island Avenue NE, between Monroe Street NE and Central Avenue NE 
  • Rhode Island Avenue NE, between Central Avenue NE and Hoover Road NE 
  • Rhode Island Avenue NE, between Hoover Road NE and South Dakota Avenue NE 
  • 10th Street NE, between Emerson Street NE and Gallatin Street NE 
  • 8th Street NE, between Emerson Street NE and Delafield Street NE 
  • 8th Street NE, between Delafield Street NE and Decatur Street NE
  • 8th Street NE, between Decatur Street NE and Crittenden Street NE Ward 6
  • Intersection of North Capitol Street NW and H St NW Ward 7
  • Benning Road NE, between East Capitol Street NE and Central Avenue NE 
  • Benning Road NE, between Central Avenue NE and 45th Street NE 
  • Benning Road NE, between 45th Street NE and 44th Street NE 

Citywide Sidewalk Restoration Projects

Ward 2

  • Decatur Place NW, between Massachusetts Avenue NW & 22nd Street NW 
  • Kalorama Road NW, between Connecticut Avenue NW and Thornton Place NW 
  • Kalorama Road NW, between Thornton Place NW and 23rd Street NW

Ward 3

  • 48th Street NW, between Alton Place NW and Albemarle Street NW 
  • 48th Street NW, between Albemarle Street NW and Butterworth Place NW 
  • 48th Street NW, between Butterworth Place NW and Brandywine Street NW 
  • 48th Street NW, between Brandywine Street NW and Chesapeake Street NW 
  • 48th Street NW, between Chesapeake Street NW and Davenport Street NW 
  • 48th Street NW, between Davenport Street NW and Ellicott Street NW Ward 4
  • Intersection of 14th Street NW and Longfellow Street NW 
  • Geranium Street NW, between Alaska Avenue NW and 13th Street NW 

Ward 5

  • Intersection of Monroe Street NE and 8th Street NE Ward 7
  • Suitland Road SE, between Alabama Avenue SE and 37th Street SE 
  • Suitland Road SE, between 37th Street SE and 38th Street SE 
  • Suitland Road SE, between 38th Street SE and Southern Avenue SE

Citywide Alley Restoration

DDOT will do alley improvements at the following locations. Once work begins, access to parts of the alley under construction will be closed, and parking will not be available. In emergency situations, access may be permitted by notifying DDOT. Work is estimated to take about two weeks, weather permitting.

Ward 1

  • Square 2541, bound by Ashmead Place NW, Belmont Road NW, Waterside Drive NW and Connecticut Avenue NW 
  • Square 2835, bound by Oak Street NW, 14th Street NW, Otis Place NW and Holmead Place NW Ward 4
  • Square 2807, bound by Emerson Street NW, 13th Street NW, Farragut Street NW and 14th Street NW Ward 6
  • Square 0868, bound by 6th Street NE, A Street NE, 7th Street NE and East Capitol Street

DDOT Weekly Construction Update: February 18 through March 4

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) produces a list of alley, sidewalk and road paving projects it hopes to complete within the next two weeks, weather permitting. As roads are a tool used by bicyclists, the following are projects that may affect your bike commute.

Pavement and Sidewalk restoration projects are on the map below.

Citywide Pavement Restoration Projects

Ward 3
Albemarle Street NW, between Connecticut Avenue NW and Reno Road NW

Ward 5
Adams Street NE, between Downing Street NE and 14th Street NE
Downing Street NE, between 13th Street NE and 14th Street NE
Intersection of North Capitol Street NE and New York Avenue NE

Ward 6
12th Street SW, between Maine Avenue SW and Independence Avenue SW 

Citywide Sidewalk Restoration Projects

Ward 3
Garrison Street NW, between 44th Street NW and River Road NW
Oliver Street NW, between Nevada Avenue NW and Broad Branch Road NW

Ward 4
Dahlia Street NW, between Piney Branch Road NW and 9th Street NW
Fern Street NW, between 13th Street NW and Alaska Avenue NW
Roxanna Road NW, between Portal Drive NW and 16th Street NW

Ward 5
Monroe Street NE and 8th Street NE

Ward 7
Suitland Road SE, between Alabama Avenue SE and Southern Avenue SE

Ward 8
6th Street SE, between Brandywine Street SE and Chesapeake Street SE

Citywide Alley Restoration

Ward 3
Square 1655 bound by Fessenden Street NW, 44th Street NW, Garrison Street NW and Wisconsin Avenue NW

Ward 5
Square 3982 bound by Delafield Place NE, Sargent Road NE, Emerson Street NE and 13th Street NE

Ward 7
Square 5048 bound by Anacostia Road NE, East Capitol Street NE, Burns Street NE and Blaine Street NE

DDOT Construction Update – January 8 – January 21

Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) produces a list of alley, sidewalk and road paving projects it hopes to complete within the next two weeks, weather permitting. As roads are a tool used by bicyclists, the following are projects that may affect your bike commute.

Road Paving Projects 

18th Street NW and 19th Street NW Pavement Restoration Project 
Monday, January 8, through Friday, January 12

DDOT will conduct brick sidewalk repair on 19th Street NW between L Street NW and M Street NW from Monday, January 8, through Friday, January 12. DDOT will also restore sidewalks, driveways, curbs, gutters and Americans with Disabilities Act ramps on 18th Street NW between Pennsylvania Avenue NW and L Street NW.

Citywide Pavement Restoration Projects

As part of DDOT’s commitment to improve and restore local roadways, work will be conducted at the following locations throughout the following two weeks, weather permitting:

Palisade Lane NW, between Loughboro Road NW and Dead End;
45th Street NW, between Warren Street NW and Van Ness Street NW;
45th Street NW, between Van Ness Street NW and Massachusetts Avenue NW;
Cathedral Avenue NW between 29th Street NW and Woodley Road NW.

Citywide Sidewalk Restoration Projects

As part of DDOT’s commitment to improve and restore local sidewalks, work will be conducted at the following locations throughout the following two weeks, weather permitting:

6th Street SE, between Brandywine Street SE and Chesapeake Street SE;
6th Street SE, between Mississippi Avenue SE and Savannah Street SE;
Suitland Road SE, between Alabama Avenue SE and Southern Avenue SE;
19th Street NE, between L Street NE and M Street NE;
Brandywine Street NW, between 36th Street NW and Reno Road NW;
Holbrook Street NW, between Neal Street NW and Florida Avenue NW;
Rodman Street NW, between Reno Road NW and Idaho Avenue NW.

DDOT Construction Update Monday, December 4 – Sunday, December 17

Image: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) produces a list of alley, sidewalk and road paving projects it hopes to complete within the next two weeks, weather permitting. As roads are a tool used by bicyclists, the following are projects that may affect your bike commute.

Road Paving Projects 

Blair Road NW Pavement Restoration Project
Monday, December 4, through Friday, December 8 
Paving and restoration will occur on Blair Road NW from Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 8. DDOT will be saw-cutting and sheet patching at the intersection of Blair Road NW and Kansas Avenue NW from Tuesday, December 5, to Friday, December 8. DDOT will mill and pave between Butternut Street NW and Eastern Avenue NW, and conduct line striping between Kansas Avenue NW and Butternut Street NW from Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 8.

19th Street NW Pavement Restoration Project
Monday, December 4, through Friday, December 8

DDOT will restore sidewalks, driveways, curbs, gutters and ADA ramps on 19th Street NW between L Street NW and M Street NW, F Street NW and G Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue NW and G Street NW from Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 8. In addition, installation of a catch basin will occur at the intersection of 19th Street NW and K Street NW from Tuesday, December 5, through Wednesday, December 6.

M Street NW Pavement Restoration Project
Monday, December 4, through Friday, December 8

DDOT will restore sidewalks, driveways, curbs, gutters and ADA ramps on M Street NW between 22nd Street NW and New Hampshire Avenue NW from Monday, December 4, to Friday, December 8.

Citywide Pavement Restoration Projects

As part of DDOT’s commitment to improve and restore local roadways, work will be conducted at the following locations throughout the following two weeks, weather permitting:

Connecticut Avenue NW, between Macomb Street NW and Calvert Street NW;
North Capitol Street NW, between Florida Avenue NW and New York Avenue NW;
12th Street SW, between Independence Avenue SW and C Street SW;
12th Street SW, between Maryland Avenue SW and Maine Street SW; and
Van Buren Street NW, between 8th Street NW and Piney Branch Road NW.

A Closer Look at the FY 2018 – 2022 DDOT STIP

The DDOT STIP is a 4-year Transporation Plan.
Photo: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) presented its draft Fiscal Year 2018 – 2022 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Monday, October 2 at the Shaw Public Library. The plan includes several important projects like the continued rehabilitation of Rock Creek and Capital Bikeshare maintenance and expansion, but there were a few missing.

The $1.1 billion Draft Fiscal Year 2018-2022 STIP is a District-wide, long-range funding plan that prioritized transportation projects that are eligible for federal grant funding. The projects listed are consistent with the District’s statewide transportation plan, also known as moveDC, which differs from STIP as it doesn’t allocate funding.

The STIP tracks federally funded and regionally-significant projects that directly address the transportation needs of the District. The STIP is produced every two years and is a cooperative effort that requires the input of District stakeholders, regional partners, and the public. The STIP does not include projects that are funded exclusively through local resources, which would include elements of the District’s Streetcar or Circulator projects. The full list of projects can be seen here.

The plan contains 117 projects and while many are allocated by ward, the majority deal with District-wide operational or administrative needs. The STIP has nine project categories that include Major Multimodal improvements, which build key transportation corridors, typically addressing travel by a mix of modes (including transit, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian), operations, safety, curbside uses, and public space quality; to Asset Management, which maintains and upgrades transportation assets including roadway pavement, streetlights, traffic signals, and signal systems.

Of the total number of projects, about 14 specifically state having a bike component or are designated as one of the nine project categories as Bicycling and Pedestrian initiatives. Projects that focus solely on expanding or maintaining bike infrastructure represents about 3.9 percent of total STIP spending or about $45 million over 4 years. Adding in the projects that contain bike components, like Safe Routes to School, the total stated investment in bicycling is approximately 13.6 percent or $159 million of STIP planned spending.

DDOT is conducting a short online survey to gather public comments and determine how the STIP is perceived and what should be the District’s top transportation priorities. Additionally, the survey asks general questions regarding how residents use the District’s transportation network. The survey also has a section that allows you to add what you believe is missing from the STIP. The comment period ends October 25, 2017. The DDOT STIP management team will also accept feedback by email.

Below is a table listing all projects that have a bicycling component or are bicycling specific. Certain projects like bridge replacement and equipment purchases may make the roads safer for bicycling but is not included in this list.

While the STIP has many improvements for bicycling and pedestrians, there are a few missing projects or projects that descriptions that don’t specify bicycling improvements. The New York Avenue corridor contains several planned projects but is not shown in the STIP. DDOT staff stated that projects that are in the early planning stages or do not have a funding stream attached are not included. Irving Street (at North Capitol Street), the Metropolitan Branch Trail extension, and the reconstruction Southeast Boulevard are also absent. Although the rebuilding of New Jersey Avenue between Massachusetts and N Streets NW and the replacement of the Fredrick Douglass / South Capitol Street Bridge projects should include protected infrastructure, it was not stated in the draft plan so it was excluded from this list.

The Draft Plan October 2 meeting. Photo: Author

The STIPs included improvements help link the District’s Wards and maintain the current infrastructure in a state of good repair. The Arboretum Bridge and Trail project would provide a much-needed link from Ward 7 to Wards 5 and 6. Currently, the neared pedestrian crossing is Benning Road, which is poor given its focus on moving vehicular traffic. And because of its current inhospitable state, the replacement of the Benning Road Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue in northeast will greatly improve the ability of pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the Anacostia safely.