Frederick Douglass' 200th birthday this year, and to make sure he remains an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and he continues to be recognized more and more the District is celebrating all week.
Today, at noon, there will be a groundbreaking for the new Frederick Douglass Bridge held just west of the existing bridge at noon.
The work is part of the South Capitol Street Corridor Project, the largest public infrastructure project in the history of the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), which is managing the project. The project includes replacement of the 68-year-old Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and reconstruction of the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange.
This is a BIG project that will greatly improve biking across the river (it will feature Eighteen-foot wide shared bicycle/pedestrian paths on both sides of the bridge with four pedestrian overlooks) and in the area. DDOT had two kick-off meetings in November.
This year they plan to start East Oval construction, construct a new I-295 Ramp, widen the median on South Capitol Street and Start West Oval construction.
Construction on the West Oval and South Capitol Street portions, located near Nationals Stadium, will be deferred until July 2018 after the Major League Baseball All Star Game is scheduled.
Other residents asked about the green space near the traffic ovals, indicated as recreational areas in the plans. Lytle said that at this point DDOT intended for those areas to remain for recreational use, though he cautioned that other stakeholders could see fit to change those plans. He was less clear on the details of pedestrian access to the space across the traffic ovals though he noted that there would be a traffic light or a hawk light to assist in crossing.
Then on Saturday, the city will cut the ribbon on the new Oxon Run Trails with a Frederick Douglass 5k.
Join Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC residents for the 1st Annual Frederick Douglass 5K to celebrate his 200 years of life and legacy! This will also be the official ribbon cutting for the new Oxon Run Trail
Commemorate his 200th birthday by running this fun event at the newly renovated Oxon Run Park Trail!
If you haven't seen the trails yet, you should and it's hard to imagine a better opportunity.
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