5th and K NW Looks Great

This Saturday will mark the end of a one-year remake of K Street NW in the Mount Vernon Triangle neighborhood. The District Department of Transportation embarked on a streetscape improvement program in March of 2012 for K Street NW between 3rd and 7th Streets. In an area formerly of sparse retail, some residential, and lots of parking, the new streetscape of the main drag goes right along with the addition of new restaurants and housing.

The corner of 5th and K NW is now quite busy and is home to a number of restaurants and retail establishments including: Gables City Vista Apartments (formerly The V), Busboys and Poets, Kushi Izakaya and Sushi, Taylor Gourmet, Sweetgreen, Capital One Bank, Popular Cuts Barber Shop, Benjamin Moore Paints, Safeway, Chipotle, 5th Street Hardware, Subway Liquors, Mandu Korean, VIDA Fitness and more.

There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony and festival this Saturday to celebrate the changes. The Mayor, Vincent Gray, is scheduled to attend. The festival will run from 12:00 Noon - 4:00 PM.

Here are a few photos of the new streetscape elements in and around 5th and K.

Wider sidewalks and added green space.

More public seating.

Restaurants have added sidewalk seating. Here: Mandu.

Residential development at 440 K St NW.

Bikeshare station.

Bike lanes and sharrows.

Huge planters and new trees.

Sharrows on Mount Pleasant Street

Just noticed the new bicycle sharrows on Mount Pleasant Street NW last night. The sharrows (shared lane markings, featuring directional arrows) were requested from DDOT earlier this year. 

Bikers are allowed and encouraged to ride well into the lane away from parked cars and doors, especially when there is no formal bicycle lane available. The sharrows reinforce this lane availability to all users.

Mount Pleasant is home to three bike share stations and countless other individual bikers who travel up and down the main street each day. As one of those bikers, I'm happy to see the new markers on Mount Pleasant Street. Have a great weekend.

"Conflict Areas" Get Green

Columbia Road NW approaching 18th Street.

The city has begun enhancing some bike lanes with green paint. Part of the mayor's long term transportation plan includes expanding the amount of bike lanes in the city from 56 to 61 total miles as well as adding these painted lanes. The paint will appear in "high conflict areas" between cars and bikes --intersections, merging areas, turn lanes-- calling attention to the possible presence of bikers in crucial and potentially dangerous areas. I like the idea applaud the city for taking the step.

Still Working in Adams Morgan

Facing north on 18th St NW in Adams Morgan

Slow going as businesses on the west side of 18th Street NW get a long taste of the Adams Morgan Streetscape Project. Patrons visiting these bars, restaurants and stores face a bit of a dusty and muddy challenge for the time being.

Although work has recently seemed to be slower than during past phases, DDOT says the project is 80% complete and will be finished on August 15, 2012. Just a few more weeks of discomfort for visitors and business owners (especially in front of comprised sidewalks). But the results look great so far. Here's to a no-delay summer.

Visible Progress on Adams Morgan Streetscape Project

Wider sidewalks; more room for pedestrians

The Adams Morgan 18th St streetscape project is now 65% complete, according to the DDOT dashboard. Construction continues from Columbia Road to Florida Ave, with little untouched along the way. Roads and sidewalks are a mess of asphalt, mud and orange tape. But at 65% completion (and 100% on budget), the end is near. Businesses, residents and visitors can look forward to visible markers of progress as DDOT continues on the now 18 month project.

Water connection work is virtually done and much of the remaining construction will involve surface work including the actual roadway, parking schemes, expanded sidewalks, granite curbing, accessible ramps and lighting. In these photos, you can see how much additional room --4 to 6 feet in places-- pedestrians will have on sidewalks. Some intersections (like 18th and Kalorama) will get bulb outs, making the crossing distance even shorter and slowing car traffic. Finally, parking will be converted to traditional parallel; from the awkward diagonal back-in-only parking practiced now.

Bulb-out and granite curb

Trees Will Return to Adams Morgan's 18th Street

Among the causalities of the massive streetscape project in Adams Morgan are trees. The busy thoroughfare of 18th St NW between Florida and Columbia has lost many of the trees which lined it before the project. The good news: they will be replaced! Along with new bike racks, bike sharrows, bulb outs, ADA compliant ramps, more crosswalks, parallel parking and a lot more; Adams Morgan will get new shading trees on its expanded sidewalks.

Above: a recent photo I took near Ventnor Sports. Below: same strip before the tree removal. The entire project, which is quite ambitious --and needed-- will take 15 months, wrapping up late-summer of 2012. Good work DDOT!

Google Street View

Transit Display on 14th Street NW

DDOT, the District Department of Transportation, has been on a roll the last few years. Of course Bikeshare and Circulator have been huge hits. The agency's transit programs has even spurred Metro to attempt to up its game, to varying degrees of success.

Here's another project from DDOT that I hope gets a widespread roll out at some point. Pictured is a 32 inch flatscreen just inside the windows of Reeves Center at 14th and U Sts NW. The screen shows the live availability status of area Metrobus, Metrorail, Circulator bus, Bikeshare and even Zipcar. DDOT calls it a Multi-Modal Digital Display.

Amazing! I was at the corner recently, late night, and could quickly glance to see if I should wait on a 50s bus, try to hop on a Circulator or head down underground and get onto a train headed home. As of this writing, the Circulator, Zipcar, Bikeshare and Metrorail availability and arrivals are real time. Mertrobus times are based on the hard schedule provided by Metro, but DDOT says within two months they'll list real NextBus-provided estimates for arrival.

DDOT wants to expand the program, but don't count on seeing it in Mount Pleasant or your neighborhood anytime soon. They have plans to deploy just three additional big multi-modal screens at other locations in DC. The city is looking for funds to expand a bus-arrival-only version at bus shelters all over the city. Riders can currently call Metro or use internet enabled smartphones to get real time bus arrival info through NextBus.

Photos: See DC's Streetcars Close Up

DDOT is giving us a chance to see the Districts new streetcars up close this week. They've set up shop in the 10th and H parking lot (the future City Center DC) and are showing off the new public transit vehicle as well other successes like Circulator and SmartBike. The mini showcase is happening every day and ends Saturday. 11am-7pm today and Friday and until 5pm on Saturday.

You can board the streetcar and get more information about routes, time lines and infrastructure issues in a tented information room across the lot. Nice work by the city here keeping us informed and laying the groundwork for the needed support in the fight to install some sort of power infrastructure, most likely through overhead wires. Personally, I can't wait! So cool.

Mount Pleasant Main Street Wins DDOT Grant

Nearly a quarter of a million dollars is coming to the neighborhood for streetscape improvements in Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant Main Street has secured $240,000 from DDOT in the form of a Transportation Enhancement Grant. DDOT had about $2.0 million total dollars to distribute.

The award will be used for several aesthetic and safety improvements including: improved lighting in Lamont Park (and on Mt P Street in general), new park landscaping and seating in the park, and bicycle and pedestrian safety features on Mount Pleasant Street. The time line and details of the proposed changes still have to be determined. MPMS will work with the ANC early next year to gauge public input and start the process now that the monies are secure. Read the full press release here.

Mt Pleasant Transportation Study Meeting

This may be the last chance to see and ask about the recommendations and improvements included in the Mount Pleasant Transportation Study.

Generally, the purpose of the DDOT study, in it's own words are:

"...to examine the existing and future traffic conditions in Mount Pleasant, and to identify transportation-related improvements needed to enhance efficiency of all modes of transportation, promote safety of all road users (vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians), enhance streetscape. and to address transit, bicycle and pedestrian transportation needs."

The details:

Public Meeting

Sacred Heart 1625 Park Rd. NW,
Washington, DC 20010

Saturday, November 15, 2008
9 a.m. to Noon
9:00 to 10:30 a.m. — Presentation
10:30 a.m. to Noon — Open House

More information on the web at: http://www.dci-projects.com/Pleasant/

I'm guessing Ward One council person Jim Graham will be there, as well as some significant staff from the Department of Transportation.

Transportation Study Meeting Tonight

The District Department of Transportation will be holding a public meeting tonight at the Mount Pleasant Branch Library. The meeting will summarize the input of residents about the Mount Pleasant Transportation Study, which is ongoing. Currently the Final Report will be released in February or March of 2008 with actual work beginning sometime after that. I'll be happy if DDOT reduces double parking on Mt Pleasant Street (maybe more of an enforcement issue) and makes the roads safer for bikers (dedicated lanes please!). The Library is located at 3160 16th St NW and the meeting begins at 6:30PM. Ward One City Councilmember Jim Graham will be present.