Asphalt Alley Paving Narrowly Averted

Yesterday I mistakenly thought the No Parking signs posted in the alley of the 600 block of Quebec Place/Rock Creek Church Rd was for the heavy up Pepco is preparing for around the corner.

In fact, it was DDOT’s intention to pave the alley in asphalt. Fortunately, several of the neighbors were home and quickly put a stop to it. It isn’t that the neighbors don’t want the alley repaired, but it is an old brick alley and was supposed to be restored as a brick alley.

Last year the 700 block of Quebec Place/Princeton Place was restored as a brick alley. This year, the city is using the excuse that there isn’t enough money to stick to the original plan.

As it stands now, no work will be done to fix the alley in the immediate future. Mayor Fenty clarified this morning that brick alleys would be repaved with brick, and non-brick alleys would be repaved in non-brick materials (asphalt).

Uneven Pavement

Really, nothing more than a sign I liked. It looks like the work on K Streets going to involve a certain amount of repaving.

Road Closures for Weekend Events

DDOT has issued the following list of road closures due to several events scheduled this weekend:

(Washington, D.C.) Several special events are scheduled in District this weekend and the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has provided the following information about related road closures and parking restrictions.

2009 17th Annual Caribbean Carnival

On Saturday, June 27, 2009 and Sunday, June 28, 2009, the District of Columbia will host the 2009 Caribbean Carnival. The parade portion of this event will utilize the entire roadway of Georgia Avenue between Missouri Avenue, NW, and Barry Place, NW. During the course of this parade no traffic will be permitted northbound or southbound on Georgia Avenue, NW, along the parade route. The times, routes and street closings of the parade and festival are listed below.

Road Closures for Weekend Events

It looks like a busy weekend for events. Whether you are out and about on Saturday or Sunday, from Georgetown, to Dupont Circle, to Pennsylvania Avenue, all signs point to people, people, people … and associated road closures.

I am happy that the Pride parade is going through the neighborhood this year. Now, we just need to get the event itself off of Pennsylvania Avenue and back to its roots. To find out more about the weekend’s events, go to the Capital Pride Web site.

For those interested in the scheduled road closures, the DDOT announcement is as follows:

Three Events Scheduled That Could Impact Traffic

(Washington, D.C.) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has provided the following information about road closures for three events scheduled this weekend in the District: the Lawyers Have a Heart Race, Capital Pride Parade and the Capital Pride Festival.

DDOT Invites Residents on Urban Tree Walk

I know trees are something that a lot of DC residents care about, so when I got this announcement from DDOT I knew I had to share it. I also think its a great opportunity to get to know both trees and neighbors better.  The Urban Forestry Administration lists the schedule here>>

Summer Series Kicks Off This Saturday in Palisades

(Washington, D.C.) Join the Department of Transportation’s Certified Arborists for an Urban Tree Walk every Saturday this summer.  Bring your children or a cup of coffee for an informal discussion with the experts from the Urban Forestry Administration (UFA) who care for all of the street trees in the District. 

Georgia Avenue Great Streets Update

I wish I had more news on this than I do, but I’ll share what I know.

Last night, representatives of DDOT came to the ANC1A meeting to give an update on the Georgia Avenue Great Streets project.

The only thing that was learned officially is that the money that was initially set aside for Georgia Avenue was used for H Street, NE, construction. The city has since been trying to find ways to replace those funds and thinks that they have nearly been able to do that. It is their hope that funds will be secured by the end of this summer, with a Fall 2009 start date for construction.

What is confusing to me, and to others that were at the meeting, is that the representatives at various times reminded folks that there is an upper, middle, and lower Georgia Avenue plan … and then said that those designations no longer applied … only to reverse that statement and state that there are three areas.

Lower Georgia Ave. is designated as between Otis and Florida Avenue. When a question was raised about the Otis to Rock Creek Church Rd. section, we were told that that is part of the Middle Georgia Ave. Plan, a Ward 4 project, so we shouldn’t be too worried about it. The DDOT representatives were reminded that south of Rock Creek Church Rd. IS in Ward 1.

As confusing as all of this is, information is available from the DDOT Web site, but I’m sure it won’t be any clearer than what was discussed last night as its dated. To get to the DDOT Georgia Avenue documents, go here>>

DDOT Begins Construction on Major Section of Metropolitan Branch Trail

I just received the following DDOT announcement which I think it great. If you’re a big user of the city’s many trails, you already know that they don’t all link up as nicely as they could. The Metropolitan Branch Trail aims to solve some of this, making it easier to bike, jog, etc. — whether for recreation or as your preferred route to work. The news release is as follows:

(Washington, D.C.) Today, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Director Gabe Klein kicked off construction on a new section of the Metropolitan Branch Trail (MBT), a proposed 8-mile multi-use trail that will stretch from Silver Spring to Union Station, connecting the Capital Crescent Trail, the Anacostia Tributaries Trail System and the National Mall.  The new construction section marks a milestone in creating a continuous trail from Catholic University to downtown DC.

“This is a fantastic step forward in transforming the District into a pedestrian and bicycle friendly city,” said Mayor Fenty. “When this trail is completed, walkers and bikers won’t have to compete with cars on our busiest streets – residents will have access to a trail that leads them through the heart of the city.”

Bridge on South Dakota @ Vista 65% Completed

It dawned on me Sunday as I was on South Dakota Ave. that the bridge over the CSX tracks near the intersection of Vista seems to be taking a long time to complete. It looks like they are nearly done with the souteast bound traffic, but they haven’t started the northwest bound side of the bridge yet.

So, I looked it up. According to DDOT, the project is 65% completed. It was started on March 12, 2007 and is scheduled to be completed on June 30, 2010, with a total cost of $619,732.

It looks good, and I’m glad they are doing a quality job, but, I don’t see how they are going to get 45% done in a year if they continue at the rate they have been.

DDOT/Metro … We Have a Problem

I discovered when I arrived at the Georgia Ave./Petworth Metro this morning that the sudden downpour this morning flooded, of all things, the Metro station. Nearly the entire length of the platform was flooded.

Tracing the water down the platform, I quickly learned that the leak was coming from above.

I think its logical to presume that the median work on New Hampshire Avenue has compromised the integrity of the Metro station, and that there will continue to be water during showers until this is addressed.

I know the community has been concerned that the median work has not gone deep enough to support the planned trees … but guess what, that may not be an option. Ultimately, the neighborhood may have to accept smaller plantings. We’ll see.

The cause was likely a clogged storm drain or ventilator shaft, which is much better than my initially assumption which showed my complete ignorance of the construction details of this station. This is one instance where I’m am thrilled to have been wrong.

Race for the Cure Road Closures Announced

If you intend to be on or near the mall tomorrow, you may want to be aware of the road closures or events related to the Race for the Cure that will impact the Mall tomorrow.

Starting as early as 7:30, and lasting until 11:00 a.m., the race will have a major impact on the area. You can read the entire DDOT release below, or click on the map or link below to go directly to the race Web site for more details.

Road Closures for Weekend Events

Race for the Cure and Unifest Celebration Scheduled

(Washington, D.C.) The Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has provided the following information about road closures for two large events scheduled this weekend: the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure and the Unifest Celebration. Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure