TheWashCycle

Massachusetts Avenue Rehab: no bike lanes, but a better street

DDOT is planning to rehabilitate the stretch of Massachusetts Avenue NW from 20th Street, around Sheridan Circle and to Waterside Drive on the east side of Rock Creek Park. At a public meeting in October they presented some of the ideas and concepts to come out of the 30% design, which does not add bike lanes to Massachusetts, but does repave the surface, redesign some intersections and create wide outside lanes.

The only bike lanes in the area are on Q and R Streets to the east of Massachusetts and this project won't change that, but it will replace the pavement, much of which is rated as "poor". According to other data presented, there have been 194 collisions on this stretch between 2013 and 2015 with 9 of them involving cyclists. 

Currently the 50' ROW has 4x12.5' lanes, but after considering a new design with a center median, they're looking at outside lanes of 14' wide and inside lanes that are 11' wide.

Many intersections will get ADA ramps, improved lighting and drainage and some other improvements, including more bike parking. 

One of the biggest changes will be at the intersection of Massachusetts and Q. Large bumpouts will be used to change this from one odd diagonal intersection into two 90 deg intersections. It will also have two new marked crosswalks that go straight across instead of diagonally. 

The intersection at 20th and Mass will be changed slightly, with the taper on Mass west of 20th giving way to a wider, uniform sidewalk.

 

While this isn't explicitly a bike project, there are a lot of cyclist that ride here and so these changes matter. The road has curbside parking, but not during rush hour, which always makes it difficult to add in a bike lane.

They're currently working on the 65% design with a 2nd meeting planned for this month.

16th Street Bridge Rehabilitation - Not much to see here

This year, DDOT will be rehabilitating the 16th Street Bridge over Piney Branch Parkway. They're going to be replacing the fencing, repairing the concrete, restoring the sculptures, adding storm water management planters, replacing guardrails and improving the slopes near the abutments (including some plantings). Pretty much none of this impacts cyclists. The only things that might matter to cyclists are:

• Improved lighting: They might replace the lighting with LED lighting, but only if the retrofit device will fit and work
• Signal timing changes: They're going to adjust Signal timings to improve traffic flow on 16th Street
• Closures: During construction, at least one lane will be closed pretty much at all times.

But there won't be any vision zero or bicycle improvements here. This is only mildly disappointing.  16th doesn't have any facilities anyway, but there was talk of "Lane and Sidewalk Configuration Evaluation" earlier in the project. I guess they evaluated it to be fine. The sidewalks are narrow, but I guess they can't do much about that. 

Rehabilitation of Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek and Rock Creek Parkway

Starting this week, from DDOT

DDOT is rehabilitating the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge over Rock Creek and Rock Creek Parkway. The project is expected to take 15 months ...

In the Spring of 2017, to perform the necessary work, a 200-day detour of westbound Pennsylvania Avenue traffic will be implemented. Westbound traffic will be detoured onto 26th Street, NW to M Street, NW while eastbound traffic will continue across the bridge throughout the detour. Pedestrian and bike traffic will continue to use the bridge during construction...

In addition to other things, the project will

Re-pave roadway approaches and re-align the Rock Creek Parkway exit ramp tie-in with Pennsylvania Avenue  

Repair sidewalks and curbs

Install curbside safety bridge rail along both sidewalks

Upgrade existing streetlighting to LED

Improving Access and Mobility in NoMa

DDOT recently announced the conversion of a block of L Street, NE - between North Capitol and First - from a one-way street to a two-way street. 

The street conversion is part of a pilot project aimed at improving access and mobility in NoMa. DDOT has coordinated with Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C and with the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID). Approximately 25 parking spaces will be removed as part of the pilot project.  

This project can be considered the first part of a larger effort by DDOT to look at transportation in NoMa. The neighborhood has changed from one with rail yards and industrial uses to one with office buildings and residences, and it may be that the street grid will have to change with it. 

One-way streets can introduce barriers to bike riding, requiring long detours, so conversions like this are generally helpful. 

Boundary Channel Drive Interchange Part II

To add to this morning's post, here's the presentation from this week's meeting. Not much added from a technical standpoint, but more about the process and the problems with the current interchange. 

Also, here's a map of all the road reconfigurations, reconstructions, extensions, cycle tracks, and two-way conversions being studied in Crystal City

DDOT to host meeting on Benning Road Transportation Improvements

DDOT is preparing a proposal for Benning Road and Bridge Multi-Modal Transportation Improvements from  Oklahoma Avenue to the Minnesota Avenue and Benning Road Metrorail Stations. This area intersections with both sides of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trails and also represents of the few places that cyclists can cross the Great Wall of Anacostia (DC-295 and the railroad tracks). If you've ever tried to make this crossing on bike it can be harrowing. Traffic goes way too fast on Benning Road, the sidewalks are no more appealing and getting onto the bridge requires crossing a highway on-ramp. So bike improvements are needed. Those who ride - or would like to ride - this route should consider attending. 

A cycletrack from the Anacostia to the bridge would be great.

WHEN:  Wednesday, May 28, 2014, 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m

WHERE:  Department of Employment Services (DOES) Building

               4058 Minnesota Avenue, NE        

First Public Meeting for Preliminary Study of Canal Road between Chain Bridge and M Street

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is initiating a planning study to examine opportunities for transportation safety improvements on Canal Road NW, between Chain Bridge and M Street, and will host the first public meeting on the study.

The study will address safety, traffic operations, drainage, erosion and slope stability issues to ensure a safe and protected roadway. The public meeting will include an overview presentation, displays of the study area and the opportunity for residents to provide their input. 

What:                   Preliminary Study of Canal Road between Chain Bridge and M Street – First Public Meeting

When:                  Wednesday, December 11, 2013; 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.                             

Where:                The Lab School of Washington; 4759 Reservoir Road NW

President's Park South project may route cyclists off E Street NW

Back in early July, The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Secret Service (Secret Service) held a public open house on the joint-agency President's Park South Project. This project will redesign the park immediately south of the White House including E Street, N.W. between 15th and 17th Streets, Washington, D.C. E Street was closed after 9/11 and has never been reopened creating quite a barrier to cyclists (pedetrians can get through their OK, but on a bike it is a massive hassle). See earlier posts on this here, here and here.

The NCPC contest was non-binding (but it "informed" the process), and so the four new alternatives presented at the July meeting are very different from the ones in the NCPC contest.

Two of the alternatives (2 & 3) include a bicycle path along the southern edge of E Street and the two others (4 & 5) route bicyclists around the existing perimeter streets (15th Street, Constitution Avenue and 17th Street). The latter two do this to create an expanded viewing area south of the existing fence - the shaded purple area on the image below. [1 is the no build option]

I think it would be a shame if this project didn't include a space for a bike path on E Street. I don't see why they can't expande the viewing area and include the bike path - the two do not seem mutually exclusive. Isn't that what we have on the north side of the White House?

Anyway, if you'd like to comment to that effect, public comments are being accepted until September 12th at this website. Comment early and often.

Sunday Video - Removing the Traffic Lights

Monday Afternoon Commute - Mid City East

Good afternoon. Hope your morning went better than mine. My rear derailleur got caught in my spokes and ripped right off the frame. Whole thing is mangled and I had to ride on my bike like it was a scooter the rest of the way. Taking the bus home. 

• DDOT and the Office of Planning will be kicking off the Mid-City East Small Area Plan and Liveability Study with an open house later this month. Mid City East consists of the communities of LeDroit Park, Bloomingdale, Eckington, Truxton Circle, Bates-Hanover and Sursum Corda. Good opportunity to start the push for bike facilities and planning. 
• Eisenhower Avenue Widening. 
• Bowie Heritage Trail:

A major milestone has been reached, as Governor O'Malley has announced the City 
was awarded a State matching grant of $574,747 for construction of Phase 1 of The 
Bowie Heritage Trail in Old Town Bowie. The grant will help the City construct the 
main corridor of the planned Heritage Trail system; the project includes approximately 
1,900 linear feet of 10-foot wide hiker-biker trail between Zug Road and 10th Street. 
The trail segment abuts the Railroad Museum, and construction will include a train 
watching platform, a pedestrian underpass of the MD 564 bridge, and development of a 
new park on the vacant land and cul-de-sac of 10th Street located near the bridge. The 
design plans for Phase 1 are already 30% engineered. We are hopeful that the work on 
this anchor segment will invigorate the design and completion of many other related 
improvements in the planned Bowie Heritage Trail system. The grant application was 
approved under the State's Transportation Enhancement Program, which was recently 
renamed the Transportation Alternatives Program. City matching funds are included in 
the proposed FY 2014-2019 Capital Improvements Program.

• The city of Frederick has begun installing 25 bike racks along its Market Street corridor. Members of the nonprofit Downtown Frederick Partnership and others donated the racks. The organization's executive director Kara Norman says in the past most riders used trees to secure their bicycles, but that's not good for the trees.
• If you work for a city (either as staff or as a consultant) on innovative bike designs, please answer this 16 question survey about the state of current design guidance. Responses are confidential and should be received by April 20.