DDOT Chat Transcript

DDOT Director Gabe Klein held a chat today [transcript]. Chat is not the medium for highly substantive answers but it is great that our new director values and makes time for dialog with the community.

The Mount Vernon Triangle was a topic of several questions from participants (neither was me):

[Comment From Guest]: Thank you for taking questions and reaching out to the community. Will the ARRA money designated to improve K Street between NJ Ave. and 7th Street NW also include laying track for the proposed streetcar? If not, should it?

[Gabe Klein, DDOT]: We are still waiting to hear if our application will be approved. It is a very competitive field for this money. The streetcar was not part of the application.

[Comment From Tom]: Will DDOT implement the Mt. Vernon Triangle Transportation Plan to reconfigure the H Street / 3rd Street / Massachusetts Ave., intersection? It is a dangerous intersection for pedestrians. It would be helpful to, at least, remove the large billboard-sized signs that lead drivers to believe it is a freeway rather than a neighborhood.

[Gabe Klein, DDOT]: Yes, we will be improving this intersection. We are reassessing the signs as well. (urban alternatives).

Fourth Street Construction Update

The Fourth Street reconfiguration construction has been ramping up since the last week of October. Today I noticed that the trees on the 1000 block that were destined to be casualties of the planned street widening were removed. Two other dead trees were also removed.

Top: Before image from Google Streetview; Bottom: Photo from today

When the work is complete the segment of road will accommodate two way traffic and street parking. The pavers will be replaced with brick and the cobrahead streetlights will be upgraded to the newer globe lights. I would also venture to guess new street trees will be planted.

Fourth Street construction signs

We previously reported that Fourth Street construction would begin on October 26th and last up to 9 months. I'm not surprised that the 26th came and went with no visible sign of construction starting. Because this project has such a lengthy window we will likely see construction done in bursts where something happens, then nothing happens, then something happens again. That's my impression of how the 11th Street NW project has gone...



In the last few days construction signage was erected on Eye Street so we may see construction begin soon.

GGW recaps last nite's streetcar forum

Last night DDOT unveiled their proposed 8-line 3 phase implementation of a streetcar network at their Ward 6 session. Greater Greater Washington has summarized the details from the forum.

I anticipate writing more about this in the near future but the quick and dirty is that lines along K Street through MVT did earn priority for the proposed Phase 1.

Below is an zoom of the larger Phase 1 map that shows MVT will have one-seat trips to Foggy Bottom to the West, H Street/Benning to the East, plus Barracks Row and Anacostia to the South.

click to enlarge; image is an inset from DDOT's proposed Phase 1 streetcar map

Georgetown would become a new one-seat destination for the K Street line by Phase 2 and of course once you begin to consider the possible destinations with transfers the connectivity is amazing.

Fourth Street Construction to Start on October 26

An announcement on the MVT CID website declares Fourth Street construction will begin next week. I assume this means Sigal construction should stop commandeering a full lane of traffic in their renovations of 425 Eye.

The DC Department of Transportation has announced that the 4th Street NW streetscape construction will begin on October 26th. The project will widen 4th Street NW and accommodate two-way traffic from L Street, NW south to Massachusetts Avenue, NW. Capitol Paving, a DC firm, was awarded the contract by DDOT, and construction should last nine months. Fourth Street is Phase II of the streetscape construction that started with the L Street streetscape completed in 2008 for the opening of Safeway.

Below is the writeup of this project from a posting I originally wrote in June:

The plans for the upgrades to Fourth Street are outlined in the Final Report for the Mount Vernon Triangle Transportation and Public Realm Design Project.

click to enlarge; image from 2005 DDOT Studies

In the study, Fourth Street improvements include:

• Restore two-way traffic from L Street to Mass Ave
  
• New traffic light at Fourth and Eye
  
• Removal of a traffic island on the NW corner of Fourth and Mass
  
• Reconfiguration of the Fourth, Mass and H Street intersection
  
• Redesign slip intersection of Third and H Streets

To accommodate these changes Fourth Street will be widened to support two way traffic. On street parking will be available on both sides of the street for the 900 and 1000 blocks. The widening on the west shoulder of 800 block will push back from the DuMont's temporary yellow curb to the true sidewalk. On the east side of the 800 block DDOT will reclaim a few feet of the Madrigal Lofts sidewalk. This has always been the plan and is why the trees were planted off center in the tree boxes to be closer to the condo building than the street. The final configuration of the 800 block segment will feature two southbound lanes, one northbound lane and on-street parking on the east side of the street.

DDOT interview, Steuart stalls and IPhone Bliss

• DDOT director Gabe Klein says all the right things in an interview with DCMUD. The District needs to maximize it's competitive advantage over the suburbs - a walkable lifestyle.
  
• Si reports back from the ANC 6C PZE meeting that Steuart Investment claims development of Squares 483 and N-514 in the Mount Vernon Triangle are "on hold for along time."
  
  
  RED=Square 483, GREEN=Square N-515
  
  
• Penn Quarter Living rejoices that WMATA has expanded cellular service to metro's 20 busiest underground stations. In our area this includes Gallery Pl-Chinatown, Judiciary Square, and Union Station but not the Convention Center or PQ/Archives stations.

DDOT to Unveil Proposed Streetcar System Plan

DDOT spokesperson John Lisle sent out an announcement yesterday that the agency will unveil it's proposed streetcar system plan a series of public meetings scheduled in every ward. The meetings kick off next Thursday October 22nd with the Ward 6 meeting (our ward) at J.O. Wilson Elementary (660 K Street NE) from 7 pm – 8:30 pm.

Portland Streetcar image from flickr user KGradinger

During the tenure of Mayor Anthony Williams two disconnected streetcar alignments, one on H Street NE, and the other in Anacostia were planned and the trams were ordered from the Czech Republic based Inekon. The order was fulfilled by Inekon years ago but the trams remain in the Czech Republic as progress on the project stalled. Finally in 2009 with the appointment of new DDOT director Gabe Klein tracks have begun to be installed on Benning Road NE and in Anacostia along Firth Sterling.

In early August, at a public forum held in the Atlas Theatre on H Street NE, Klein pledged to place streetcars back on the front burner stating the sluggish progress on the project was unacceptable. These public meetings in each ward will give District residents an opportunity to hear about the current progress and view updated plans for future streetcar lines across the District.

What does this mean for the Mount Vernon Triangle? One goal DDOT has is to connect the H Street NE/Benning Road streetcar line to the K Street Transitway which will run from Mount Vernon Square to Georgetown. I pondered two potential alignments for that connection back in April. I have a reputable source that says we should expect when the system is unveiled the MVT segment will use New Jersey Ave and K Street then connect to the H Street NE segment behind Union Station on the Hopscotch Bridge.


That NJ/K alignment makes a solid sense as both streets have wide right of ways and streetscape money already earmarked in the coming years. I don't have any information on timing or station locations but perhaps some of the details we crave will be shared at these public meetings.

UPDATED [10/15/2009 11:10AM]: Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy wells tells the Washington Business Journal the H Street NE/Benning streetcar line is his primary project.

For a primer on streetcars, visit my past profile of Seattle's Streetcar

Micro updates

A few small updates this morning:

• Several readers have pointed out that DDOT installed much needed physical barriers at 5th and Mass over the paint striped areas. See photos from John and Kim. While the barrels are a bit much this sort of temporary solution was needed to address the safety hazard DDOT created by leaving the intersection modifications they started incomplete.
  
  
• The water being pumped out from the DuMont onto the street is pooling along the yellow curb and producing Algae. The MVTCID has approached DCRA and they will send out an inspector.
  
  
• The prostitutes that previously congregated at 4th & L have relocated to the 5th & Mass triangle park next to the House of Ruth and Circulator bus stop. A few days ago I saw a man with no pants on wiping up after dropping a deuce. Please call MPD if you see any violations of the law.
  

Streetcar network could include K Street

The Washington Business Journal shares elements of DDOT director Gabe Klein's vision for a streetcar network with Jonathan O'Connell's piece: D.C. wants to revive streetcar plan.

Anthony Williams, the mayoral predecessor to Fenty, originally laid plans to build two pilot streetcar lines in H Street NE and Anacostia. Three streetcars had been purchased but have sat idle in the Czech Republic as the projects stalled. Klein wants to not only jumpstart those lines but build a network. How will it be different this time?

Although the Williams administration planned to build a streetcar network without federal dollars, as Portland, Ore. did with its model system, Klein said meetings with Ray LaHood, U.S. Department of Transportation secretary, have convinced him that the federal government will be a partner.

LaHood "is extremely supportive. I think he’s pretty excited about the possibility of it running right in front of the Department of Transportation headquarters,” which is on M Street SE, Klein said. He said the city plans to seek funding through the federal New Starts program, in which the Federal Transit Administration partially finances locally planned and operated transit. Klein said the program was being transformed under LaHood into an attractive option.

As we anticipated from our April discussion on a K Street streetcar, Klein would like to build a streetcar network that would include a route through downtown. The Downtown BID and other stakeholders have been pushing for the K Street line.

UPDATE [8/7/2009 12:10PM]: Greater Greater Washington recapped the DDOT public forum on streetcars that was held last night at the Atlas Theatre.

DDOT's facebook page has a photo album of the ongoing track installation on Benning Road NE. If K Street will be part of the streetcar network our track installation should ideally occur the same time as the streetscape improvements so that residents and business only impacted by construction only once.

DDOT efforts at 5th and Mass create new hazards

Late in June DDOT implemented several improvements to the intersection of 5th, Eye and Massachusetts Avenue NW targeted towards increasing pedestrian safety. Nine crosswalk segments were widened and striped with fresh paint. Additionally the pedestrian refuges on the northwest and southeast corners were expanded with striped paint to reduce crossing distance and disjointed traffic flow on the Eye Street stubs.

Aerial rendering of expansions to pedestrian refuges at 5th and Mass

These upgrades seemed to reflect an evolution of DDOT into a more agile organization. New DDOT director Gabe Klein, who comes from an entrepreneurial background, recognizes responsiveness is often best achieved with rapid delivery of functionality that is both important and sufficiently executed. Delivering small low cost improvements quickly, evaluating the effects of the change, then incrementally making further upgrades can yield better outcomes than waiting years to make permanent improvements while studies are conducted and funds are raised. This is a paradigm that could produce many great things for the district.

Why is this stop sign still here?

Cars ignoring the striped paint on SE corner of 5th and Mass

While this intersection did represent a prime opportunity to take swift action on a small budget I feel the project has been executed poorly. Striped paint alone is not enough to change the traffic flow of cars. Complicating matters DDOT did not remove the Stop signs that serviced the now striped off lanes thus sending mixed messages to drivers. The result is unpredictable behavior from cars that creates chaos and places pedestrians at more risk than before DDOT introduced these changes.

Example of quick curbs at 15th & W Streets NW

DDOT needs to finish what it started by removing the contradictory Stop signs and installing quick curbs or bollards to prevent the flow of cars into the paint striped areas. Anything less endangers pedestrians at this intersection and harms the credibility of the new agile path DDOT would like to travel down.

MVSNA requests no parking zone on Fourth Street

The following is the body of a letter from the Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association to DDOT's Jeffrey Marootian and Melissa Byrd of the Office of Planning.

The Mount Vernon Square Neighborhood Association (MVSNA) requests that the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) implement “no parking/no standing” restrictions along the 1000 and 1100 blocks of Fourth Street, NW, between K Street, NW and M Street, NW.

This area has long suffered from rampant prostitution, drug, loitering, vandalism, and other criminal activity. Some residents have lived with this crime for many years. Others who recently moved into the area, including units in City Vista, Madrigal Lofts, and Yale Steam Laundry, as well as many others who visit the area to shop at Safeway, Fifth Street Hardware, and Busboys & Poets, are shocked to experience the criminal activity firsthand on a daily basis.

The intent of the proposed no parking/standing restrictions is to reduce the prostitution and drug activity that frequently occurs in and through vehicles in this area. We suggest a 24-month approach for months 1-12, the restrictions would apply to all vehicles; for months 13-24, the restrictions would apply to all vehicles other than Zone 2/6 permit holders. At the end of this two-year period, DDOT would review the restrictions and determine their continued application after considering public comment. There would continue to be sufficient parking for neighborhood residents after implementation of the restrictions.

We have consulted with area residents and they overwhelmingly support the change. In addition, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6C, in whose jurisdiction the block falls, has voted in support of the proposed restrictions. We have been advised by officers of the Metropolitan Police Department that these restrictions provide them with an additional tool to investigate this extensive criminal activity and enforce the laws that protect the neighborhood residents. We do not view the proposed restrictions as a silverbullet to eliminating illicit activity in the area, but a vital element of a comprehensive plan to foster a safer and more livable environment.

Memorial Day Weekend Road Closures

The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and the U.S. Park Police have provided the following information about temporary road closures for events scheduled over the Memorial Day weekend.

Friday, May 22

Rolling Thunder Candlelight Vigil:

Henry Bacon Drive will be closed from Constitution Avenue to the Lincoln Memorial Circle from 7:00 p.m. to 11 pm.

Saturday May 23

United House of Prayer for All People Memorial Day Parade. The parade starts at 11 a.m. and there will be temporary road closures along the route:

• The parade route begins at 601 M Street;
  
• North on 6th Street, NW to Florida Avenue ;
  
• West on Florida Avenue to 13th & U Streets, NW;
  
• South on 13th Street, NW to Logan Circle ;
  
• East on P Street to 7th Street, NW ;
  
• South on 7th Street to M Street, NW;
  
• East on M Street to end at the House of Prayer.

Sunday May 24

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Ride. The following streets will be closed from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.:

• Arlington Memorial Circle
  
• Memorial Bridge
  
• Lincoln Memorial Circle
  
• 23rd Street, NW from Constitution Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Circle
  
• Henry Bacon Drive from Constitution Avenue to Lincoln Memorial Circle
  
• Constitution Avenue, NW from the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge to 3rd Street, NW
  
• 3rd Street from Constitution Avenue, NW to Independence Avenue, SW
  
• Independence Avenue from 3rd Street to 23rd Street, SW
  
• Ohio Drive, SW from Independence Avenue to the Inlet Bridge
  
• West Basin Drive, SW from Ohio Drive to Independence Avenue
  
• Jefferson Drive, SW
  
• Madison Drive, NW

Monday May 25

Memorial Day Parade:

Henry Bacon Drive closes at 5 a.m. and will remain closed until the conclusion of the parade. The following streets will be closed from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.:

• Constitution Avenue from 7th Street to 23rd Street, NW .
  
• Jefferson Drive from 4th Street to 15th Street, SW
  
• Madison Drive from 4th Street to 15th Street, NW
  
• 15th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Constitution Avenue, NW
  
• 17th Street from Independence Avenue, SW to Constitution Avenue, NW

5th and Mass pedestrian improvements - updated

Last Thursday's I posted on the spray painted outlines to the NW corner of 5th and Mass that seemingly represent plans to create a much needed substantial pedestrian refuge. I've now noticed that the SW corner has similar paint outlines to reclaim a westbound lane of Eye Street. The aerial rendering is updated below.


These improvements coupled with a renovated Chinatown Park could begin to create some meaningful public space for Triangle and Chinatown. A Smart Bike station would also be a great addition to pull more people into this space.

5th and Mass pedestrian improvements

Tuesday morning I noticed (presumably) DDOT laying out faintly spray painted lines for new wider cross walks and a more substantial pedestrian island at the NW corner of the 5th and Mass intersection. These marking appear to outline plans for more permanent improvements in the near future.

I found the change to the pedestrian island the most interesting. The little tiny stub of Eye Street in front of 555 Mass would be reduced to a one way slip. This will allow pedestrians less distance to cross and a more substantial area to stand while waiting to cross. Will these changes to the island only be paint stripings? Or will the changes be paint first with an eventual upgrade to a landscaped or bricked island?



The red triangle in the second picture above is my best attempt to represent the size of the island.

K Street Streetcar discussion

At tonight's MVSNA meeting new board member, and City Vista resident, John Thompson will lead a discussion on the possibility of a K Street Streetcar. John has talked with contacts at DDOT about extending the H Street NE/Benning Road streetcar project to Mount Vernon Triangle via K Street.

The H Street NE / Benning Road Streetcar (fact sheet from Streetcars4DC) has been in planning for several years and tracks are presently being laid. The proposed alignment from 2006 begins by the Minnesota Ave metro, travels west along Benning Road over the Anacostia, upon reaching the Starburst intersection the streetcar follows H Street NE until terminating in no man's land behind Union Station.

Click image to enlarge

John has been discussing the possibility of continuing to run the streetcar west to connect to K Street before terminating at Mount Vernon Square. This could increase benefit to the Mount Vernon Triangle and proposed development at Northwest One while also affording the H Street NE greater connectivity to downtown DC.

View Larger Map

The above map shows two potential extensions for the streetcar line to K Street NW. The red segment takes the straightforward approach of going over the H Street NE bridge, heading north on North Capitol for one block before heading west on K Street for 7 blocks. The green segment promotes integration with the Columbus Circle area in front of Union Station. This alignment, while more expensive, would place the streetcar at a more natural transfer point for Metro, buses, and future streetcar lines.

Alley Reconstruction

From the Mount Vernon Triangle CID:

Alley Reconstruction

The District Department of Transportation has begun alley construction in the 400 block of K Street bounded by I Street to 4th Street and 5th Street. The construction is scheduled to last three weeks and will start at 7:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, weather permitting. The alley reconstruction includes removing the old pavement and pouring a new concrete surface. Access to the alley will not be permitted during construction. If you have questions, call the Project Engineer Matthew Gana at (202) 671-4628.

Smart Bike Expansion

In mid March DDOT announced that they would be expanding the Smartbike program from 10 stations to 50 stations.

"We are already seeing that the vast amount of usage is commuting," DDOT Director Gabe Klein tells WTOP. "This will be a pretty drastic expansion of the program, and this is what we set out to do when we launched it."

"You want the bike stations to be relatively close together so that if a rack is full, you can ride to another one and drop it off," says DDOT spokesperson John Lisle. "We will fan out from the center of the city in concentric circles."

With the focus on expansion of the program at the city center the Mount Vernon Triangle and surrounding area may have a chance to land one of the new 40 stations. John Thompson recently posted on the MVSNA blog about this possibility and has been in direct contact with Jim Sebastian of DDOT.

I think there is near unanimity that the Mount Vernon Square/Conv Center metro station should land a station in this round of expansion. Could an additional station also be supported? If so, where?

Farragut Square station from flickr user Pedal_Power_Pete

In the long run, after streetscape improvements, K Street seems like a great eventual destination for a station. However present day only the streetscape along City Vista is complete and could support a station this summer. I struggle to identify the perfect location at City Vista. Considering the wide plaza area in front of Busboys is slated for a very large art installation I don't see it as an option. You could make a case for the area in front on Safeway on L Street.

After mulling it over myself I think the best option is to stay on Mass Ave. My choices would be the pocket park at 5th and I or Chinatown Park. DDOT cited that Smartbikes have been utilized heavily for commuting. These parks are in locations with marginally more residential density and greater proximity to office buildings. Additionally, Mass Ave being much closer to build out and featuring more complete streetscapes could serve as a less chaotic location for bicycles.

What are your thoughts?

Include Chinatown Park in streetscape upgrades

From Miles Groves of the DNA:

DDOT will be presenting their Downtown Streetscape (trees and streetlights) report, which will disclose whether they will include trees and streetlights in the area around the proposed Chinatown Park at 6th and Massachusetts Avenue. We need concerned residents who are concerned about the plight of Chinatown Park to attend the ANC 6C meeting which will be held at the Heritage Foundation at 214 Mass Ave NE starting at 7PM this Tuesday. As you can see from the agenda, several items are being covered.

We need to show DDOT that the neighborhood is concerned with the state of Chinatown Park and the delays to include the public space streetscape improvements that the National Park Service wants to see put into place before the renovation of the park begins.

Please try to come and bring neighbors. Some of us have spent exhaustive hours trying to get this work done and we need to show public support to the ANC and to DDOT.

Reservation 72, aka Chinatown park, bounded by 5th, 6th, Mass and I

Upgrading the park has long been discussed but continues to be postponed due to NPS control of the land and lack of funds. The streetscape money presents an opportunity to infuse life into the project. The Chinatown Revitalization Council would like to renovate the park in a way that incorporates Chinese Heritage. Triangle residents would like it to be a lively space and not just a worn patch of grass.

K Street Streetscape Funding

On the heels of yesterday's posting that outlined the streetscape plans for K Street the natural questions are when will this happen and how will it be paid for?

The timeline is linked to the financing. The Mount Vernon Triangle Community Improvement District (MVT CID) has been lobbying heavily for this project over the last year with the Mayor's office and the DC Council to secure funding. Within the past two weeks the CID engaged new DDOT director Gabe Klein in discussions on this project.

The best opportunity to jumpstart these improvements is via the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), also known as stimulus money. The District has been allocated roughly ~$120 million dollars in FHWA ARRA money for roads and highways. Mayor Fenty recently signed and submitted an act to request the funds for Phase I spending of this money ($57.7MM). Blogger TSARCHITECT has a comprehensive recap regarding which projects were included in this first phase of spending.

Of note is that the shovel ready Fourth Street improvements applied for funding but were not included. I believe DDOT had funds for Fourth Street in the 2009 budget and the upgrades will proceed this summer without the ARRA money. K Street however does not yet have a budget and ARRA funding could truly accelerate the time table (2010?) for these transformations to our community's commercial corridor.

Let's show our support for K Street Streetscape improvements to Deputy Mayor Neil Albert when he speaks at the DNA meeting on April 14th.

Future of the K Street Streetscape

On two occasions I've recapped the planned upgrades to Fourth Street according to the Final Report for the Mount Vernon Triangle Transportation and Public Realm Design Project. The aim of this posting is to outline the plans for K Street between 7th Street NW and New Jersey Ave NW.

Running east-west through the center of the Triangle, K Street is the neighborhood’s major commercial and activity corridor. Verdant in character, K Street also functions as shared urban green space connecting the northern and southern halves of the Triangle. The generous proportions of the street allow for large public gatherings and events, while the development of ground-floor commerce reinforces the street’s function as a neighborhood economic artery. The variability of architectural form and function along the street is addressed by a consistent, unifying streetscape that is still flexible enough to respond to unique conditions.

The spatial configuration, material palette, and programming of the K Street landscape accommodate both commerce and daily neighborhood life. Along most of its length, the wide building setback is divided into three zones: a “promenade” sidewalk zone adjacent to the street, a wider “meander” sidewalk zone adjacent to the buildings, and a substantial “median” in between with canopy trees and lush understory planting. Distinct paving differentiates the two pedestrian zones, while a palette of contemporary streetlights, benches, and trash receptacles unifies the entire street and distinguishes it from most other streets within the Triangle.

Plans for K Street include the following:

• 50 foot wide streetscape divided into 3 zones: promenade sidewalk along street, landscaped median, and meander sidewalk adjacent to buildings.
  
• Meander sidewalks to use pressed concrete pavers while promenade sidewalks offer contrast with brick.
  
• 5th and K "neighborhood center" to have a four plaza configuration with special pavers.
  
• Public art should be integrated, at every opportunity, into the K Street streetscape in a manner appropriate to an active commercial corridor and a residential neighborhood.
  
• Alley and Parking lot curb cuts should be consolidated. Future curb cuts should be kept to a minimum.
  
• Typical K Street streetscape pattern will be modified to accommodate and preserve existing trees in front of Museum Square.
  
• Contemporary lighting, benches and trash cans installed on K Street to contrast the traditional offerings on surrounding streets.
  
• Installation of "pay and display" multi-space meters
  
• A mid block cross walk for the 400 block of K Street (which is a "double block").
  
• Bicycle lanes and racks will be added to K Street.
  
• All utility structures, including grill-covered area ways, should be located in alleys or on private property, not in the sidewalk or in public space areas.
  

Click any of the images below to enlarge:




All renderings taken from Final Report for the Mount Vernon Triangle Transportation and Public Realm Design Project