2019 to be a very busy year in DC trails (if the TIP is to be believed)

Last November, DC amended the FY 2017-2022 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and it puts a lot of work of interest to cyclists into 2019. 

One of the most important changes to cyclists is that the bulk of funding for construction of the Metropolitan Branch Trail ($11M) was placed in 2019 signaling that DDOT plans to start construction on L&M Streets and Fort Totten soon. 

Meanwhile the "Safety Improvements Citywide" program, which pays for things like lighting, safety studies, roadway improvements (like at Blair Circle) and such received an addition $918,000 in SPR and local funding. This comes on top of previous increases that more than doubled funding for the program. They also added millions for additional streetlight upgrades citywide, which is nice for those who bike at night. 

Though not a change, DDOT plans to reconstruct C Street NE with a cycletrack in 2019. In the same year they will perform more construction on Pennsylvania Ave SE/Potomac Circle/Barney Circle which includes improving "pedestrian and bicycle access to the Sousa Bridge and along proposed Southeast Boulevard to the 11th Street Bridges."  They also have more than $11M set aside for construction of the South Capital Street Trail, $3.5M for the trail bridge across the Anacostia at the National Arboretum, $14M to replace the bike/ped bridges over Kenilworth Avenue, $27M for improvements to Southern Avenue

In 2018, they have funds set aside to rebuild Virginia Avenue (which they're currently doing) with a new Virginia Avenue Trail on the south side. There's also more than $10M for the Rock Creek Park Trail rehabilitation project, and $19M for the Maryland Avenue road diet. 

The reconstruction of South Capitol Street and a new more bike-friendly Frederick Douglass Bridge, which just started, gets oodles of money over multiple years as does "multimodal" roadway improvements around St. Elizabeths. 

The Florida Avenue Streetscape project is funded in 2020, which is also new. 

Oddly, there's $3.3M in the TIP for construction of the New York Avenue Trail in 2017. I don't think that happened. 

Many of the programs that support cycling in part or in whole, like goDCgo, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Management Program, Safe Routes to School, Roadway Reconstruction, Transportation Alternatives,  and the National Recreational Trails will continue to be funded as before.

There's also $500k in planning money to improve Aspen Street NW from Georgia Avenue NW to 16th Street NW to include new turn lanes and a multi-use trail on the north side of the street to support the Walter Reed redevelopment.

Comments

[Rasputin]

I wanna see some Ward 5 action up in here!

[Crickey]

DC is paying for the RCP trail?

[fongfong]

Good news on the Aspen Street improvements, as there is a brand new High School that opened this year at the intersection of 16th and Aspen. The problem here is that the logical connection to Sherrill Drive into RCP is a nightmare for those going uphill from the Park, and NPS has not included a side-path or a climbing lane along with any of its plans to repave Beach Drive. So car-centric it is and ever will be for the upper part of RCP, except on weekends.

[washcycle]

Crickey, I think DC is paying for all of it (because they have more money, but they may only be paying for part) but the project is being managed in part by NPS/FHWA and in part by DDOT.

https://ggwash.org/view/41340/work-on-the-rock-creek-park-trail-will-fulfill-a-long-ago-promise

[Ampersand]

Looks like lots of nice plans and I'm glad there's money, but [Insert cynical comment here]