“Pop-up” Events for the Downtown West Transportation Study

Looking at Downtown.
Image: BikeSpecific

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will hold a “pop-up style” public engagement event on Thursday, October 20, 2016. This all day event is part of a series of meetings to view and provide feedback on draft alternatives for the Downtown West Transportation Planning Study.

This event will focus on the development of alternatives for transportation across this corridor and includes a separated bicycle lane and pedestrian improvements on Pennsylvania Avenue NW and evaluation of a contraflow bus lane on H Street NW from east to west within the corridor and at specific locations, as shown below.

The engagement events will be held in three locations. The first location is at the southeast corner of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 22nd Street NW between 8:00 and 10:00 AM. The next event is begins at 11:00 AM until 2:00 PM at the Farmers Market on the 800 block of Vermont Avenue NW. The last meeting location starts at 4:00 and lasts until 6:00 PM and is located on the northwest corner of Pennsylvania Avenue NW and 19th Street NW.

The rain date is Thursday, October 27. For more information, please visit the study website.

The Bike Estate – October 3, 2016

The Bike Estate scours the other local blogs and websites for weekly information about bike facilities in new or recently opened residential or commercial buildings.

  • A new 59 unit residential development at 3450 Eads Street NE in the River Terrace neighborhood. The development has 22 parking spaces and a bicycle room with 23 spaces. (Curbed DC)
  • The Lexicon at 72 Florida Avenue NE in the NOMA neighborhood contains complimentary bike storage. (Urban Turf)
  • The Park Chelsea at 880 New Jersey Ave SE in the Navy Yard neighborhood has its own dedicated bike elevator that takes you to lockers and repair station in a secured garage. (Park Chelsea)
  • Woodbridge will see the construction of 42-unit residential building at 2027 Rhode Island Avenue NE that will contain seven parking spaces on a rear surface lot accessible from the alley, and 15 bicycle storage spaces on the cellar level and a five-space bike rack on the sidewalk. (Urban Turf)

Klingle Valley Trail Project – Trail Construction Meeting

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) held a meeting Thursday at the Cleveland Park Library to present a project schedule update regarding the continuing trail construction phase of the Klingle Valley Trail construction project.

Attendee awaits beginning of presentation.
Image: author

The lightly attended meeting provided a status update of the trail, which will be one of the few bicycle and pedestrian specific crossings through Rock Creek Park. The project will convert Klingle Road NW between Cortland Place and Porter Street into a multi-use trail.  

According to the presentation, the final paving may begin February or March, with the completion of the project to occur April or May of 2017.  The end date could be delayed due to weather of complications resulting from unanticipated sewer and gas line work, which could add as much as 90 days to the project schedule.

The trail will use the latest in green infrastructure components, such as permeable pavement and bioretention techniques Bioswale along the north shoulder of the trail. The project will also restore eroded segments of Klingle Creek and rebuild drainage structures along the trail.

DDOT representative discusses elements of trail construction.
Image: author

Klingle Road NW was closed between Cortland Place NW and Porter Street NW following a severe flood event in 1991. Over the next 25 years, residents argued over several rebuilding alternatives – from the restoration of the road for vehicles only to a mix of trail and road.

Eventually, DDOT, with the support of the Klingle Road Use Plan Approval Resolution of 2003, implemented an option that restored the creek that ran parallel to the road; repair or replace retaining walls, gas and sewage infrastructure; and replace Klingle Road with a trail.

The trail and its surrounding creek and valley components contain several unique features. The trail will be 12 feet wide and made of  semi-permeable asphalt multiple supportive layers to help retail rain runoff or carry it away using a french drain technique.  The trail will include 52 new LED-style lights that will face down on the trail to reduce glare and light pollution. At the initial meeting, bicyclists noted that the Klingle Valley Trail required a curb-cut below the Porter Street bridge to allow for an easier connection to the Rock Creek Trail. That element has been included in the project. The creek the runs along the trail, as well as vegetation and protective elements like retaining walls have largely been restored.

Meeting addendees noted that the trail plan is lacking some elements. Currently, wayfinding signage

Artist rendition of the Trail
Image: DDOT

away from the trail (so that users can locate its entrance) is not included and direct access from Connecticut Avenue is not planned. Also, management of the trail and its surroundings is complicated. The trail is managed by the District, which could be DDOT or the Department of General Services, areas that abut the trail can be under the control of the National Park Service, the Zoo, or other organizations. Depending on where an infraction occurs, the Metropolitan Police Department or the Park Police may have jurisdiction. The DDOT representative used an example of a tree falling along the trail, stating that as many as tree entities may be responsible for removing it from the area that they have control.

An attendee noted after the meeting that credit for the existence of the trail goes the the bicycling community and other preservation organizations who pushed for the trail alternative.

Anacostia Freeway at South Capitol Street Rehabilitation Meeting

South Capitol Under Anacostia Freeway. Photo: Google

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will hold a public meeting on the rehabilitation of the Anacostia Freeway Bridges over South Capitol Street. This is your opportunity to discuss potential bicycling and pedestrian access beneath these bridges and along the I-295 corridor. 

The meeting is Wednesday, October 5, 2016 from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Bellevue (William O. Lockridge) Neighborhood Library, 115 Atlantic Street SW.

While the meeting likely focuses on the I-295 Freeway, DDOT has a Draft Concept Plan for a South Capitol Street Trail, issued December 2010. According to the plan, the trail run along the corridor connecting Shepherd Parkway and the Oxon Run trail on Overlook Avenue, which runs parallel to I-295, along South Capitol street to the end of the existing trail at Firth Sterling Avenue. The proposed trail would be at least 10 feet wide and could potentially remove or reduce vehicle travel lane width.

The current trail plan does not contain access to South Capitol Street under the freeway bridge. The news bridge may offer this alternative, allowing residents of Washington Highlands, Bellview and Congress Heights potential access to a future pedestrian or bicycle trail.

Below is the current draft plan published December 2016. 

Scoping Meeting for Long Bridge Replacement Include a Few New Options

Attendees labeling suggestions
along project corridor.

The second community scoping meeting in 2016 for the Long Bridge replacement unveiled a few more crossing options that aim to expand the number freight and passenger rail trains that cross the Potomac as well as include new alternatives for bicyclists and pedestrians. The current bridge, built 1904, gives the region and the bridge’s current users a rare opportunity to build a structure that meets local, regional and national transportation needs.

The purpose of this second meeting was to allow the public to provide comments and suggestions along the project corridor. The preliminary concepts now include 9 specific alternatives, some with three variable options. The project’s new alternatives hope to address capacity issues, as current and near future peak hour rail traffic is projected to or currently exceeds some of the project’s alternatives.

Some of public attendees, who had backgrounds ranging from the railroad industry to engineering firms, discussed the concepts with project officials as this is the last meeting in Phase 2 of the study, which will use the information gathered in previous meetings and analysis to help prepare the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which will happen in Phase 3. Prior to the delivery of the DEIS some time during the summer of 2017, the project will provide a detailed screening of the alternatives and the associated public hearing.

Project Preliminary Concepts
Courtesy: DDOT Long Bridge Project

Of the 15 current alternatives, three specifically include a share bicycle and pedestrian path (3A, 5A, 8A) while three others include general purpose vehicle lanes that could include accommodation for bicycles (3C, 5C, 8C).

The other alternatives either do not explicitly include a bike or pedestrian crossing, include a tunnel option, or is in a new location. Project staff discussed the possibility of the reuse of the current bridge and its piers for other transportation options if the tunnel or a new location option is selected.

Until details emerge, determining the best bike / pedestrian option is difficult. That said, providing comments on what your like to see is still important. Connections to the District and Virginia trail and bicycle networks should be included in the discussion and include the example of the extension of the 15th Street NW protected bike lane across the National Mall and Tidal basin.

Speaking with a member of DDOT’s staff, the project also could be a catalyst for other changes potentially not under the current scope. For example, if a tunnel option is considered the current railway tunnel under Maryland Avenue SW and viaduct over Virginia Avenue SW could become obsolete. This could provide an opportunity reestablish the street grid.

Comment for this project can be submitted using snail mail and this form, or you can email your comments to info@longbridgeproject.com. The deadline for DEIS scoping comments is October 14, 2016.