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MAJOR PROJECTSCurrently, the Division is providing Federal-aid to several noteworthy projects in the District of Columbia. Among them are: DC Streets Asset ManagementThe DC Streets Asset Management program, which began June 2000, is a $70 million, five-year agreement to maintain, improve, and preserve more than 75 miles of key roadways in Washington, DC. The agreement enables VMS Inc., to manage those roads in the District that are part of the NHS which are heavily used by commuters, businesses, and tourists. Some of the major roadways are Canal Road, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and New York Avenues, as well as, Interstates 295 and 395. The contract is performance-based, whereby the owner defines the acceptable condition of the asset, and the contractor agrees to meet or exceed this defined condition. This agreement marks one of the first urban, performance-based preservation efforts of its kind in the United States. South Capitol Street Gateway StudyThe South Capitol Street Gateway Study is a key step in the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative. The Urban Design Study contains proposals designed to transform South Capitol Street into a vibrant, mixed-use grand boulevard that is a fitting gateway to the nation's capital, which includes the building of a new bridge, tunnel, and reestablishment of the street grid. Anacostia Waterfront InitiativePlanning for the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on March 22, 2000, between the District of Columbia and over a dozen federal agencies. The Initiative envisions a new, energized waterfront for this millennium, one that will unify the diverse waterfront areas into a cohesive and attractive mixture of commercial, residential, recreational, and open-space uses. The Initiative will coordinate waterfront development and conservation, develop enhanced park areas, and provide greater access to the waterfront from neighborhoods on both sides of the river, as well as from the Mall, Capitol Hill, and Downtown. A current map of the Initiative shows its geographical boundaries. Another map shows how several proposed projects combine to form the vision for the Initiative. Pennsylvania AvenueFollowing the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House was closed to vehicular traffic, creating adverse impacts on traffic and undermining the symbolism of the President's house facing an open city street. Based on legitimate security considerations, a task force created by the National Capital Planning Commission agreed that this portion of the street should remain closed to vehicular traffic, but recommended that the situation be reassessed should there be vast improvements in security technology. To reverse the effects of the closure, the task force called for doing away with barricades and creating a new, distinguished, pedestrian-oriented public space that respects the historic integrity of the street.
Kennedy Center
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC is a Congressionally-designated national showcase for the performing arts and a living memorial to President Kennedy. The purpose of the proposed project is to improve access to the Kennedy Center. The need for this project arises from the Kennedy Center's present isolation amidst a sea of limited-access parkways and freeways. While these roadways connect the city to the region, they also act as a barrier between the Kennedy Center and the surrounding city, rendering access to and from the Center difficult and unsafe for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists alike. Congress, recognizing the Kennedy Center's relative inaccessibility, directed the Secretary of Transportation to "conduct a study of methods to improve pedestrian and vehicular access to the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts" in Public Law 105-178, dated June 9, 1998. The study found that numerous conditions contribute to the Center's isolation. The Kennedy Center Access Improvements Project is being completed in three phases. The first phase, the Kennedy Center Access Study, was completed in 2000. The second phase, the Kennedy Center Access Improvements Project Environmental Assessment, is now completed with a "Finding of No Significant Impact" (FONSI). The third phase (final design, site development, funding, and construction) lies in the future. Metropolitan Branch TrailThe first portion of the Metropolitan Branch Trail opened in October, 1999 along John McCormack Road near Catholic University. Since then, only one other major segment, as well as several smaller ones, have been completed. When completed, the entire trail will stretch 7 miles from Union Station, in Washington, DC, all the way to the Silver Spring Metro subway station in Montgomery County, MD. The trail will mostly run along the same route as that section of the Red Line on the Metrorail system. A detailed map of the trail and more information can be obtained at the Washington Area Bicyclists Association. The Metropolitan Branch Trail, when completed, will also link to trails in Montgomery and Prince Georges Counties, which in turn link to trails in Northern Virginia that will eventually form a "bicycle beltway" for the Washington Metropolitan Area. Klingle RoadKlingle Road is located in northwest Washington, D.C. and runs west to
northeast from the Washington National Cathedral to Beach Drive in Rock
Creek Park. Klingle Road is listed as a collector for vehicular traffic. Collectors serve to collect and to distribute traffic in residential and commercial areas with average daily traffic ranging between 2,000 and 8,000 vehicles per day and to provide direct access to a major traffic generator such as a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metro station or a large complex of apartments. The section of Klingle Road between Porter Street and Cortland Place was closed to vehicular traffic in 1991 because of deterioration of the roadway related to drainage failure. Failure of the drainage system has resulted in severe deterioration of the roadway, headwalls, and underlying storm water system. In August 1991, the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) issued a Final Programmatic Section 4(f) Evaluation and Approval for Klingle Road from Woodley Road to Porter Street in anticipation of a reconstruction project for the closed portion. A plan for reconstruction of the roadway and associated infrastructure was initiated at that time, but later was cancelled. Klingle Road remains a right of way (ROW) on the federal-aid system and has not been administratively closed by the Council of the District of Columbia. The DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) is responsible for the maintenance of Klingle Road.* Several options for the future use and management of the closed segment of Klingle Road were released as part of a study that was completed in 2001. During the week of May 23, 2003, Mayor Anthony Williams and the District of Columbia Council agreed to provide funding for reopening Klingle Road as a paved roadway. *Information is this paragraph taken from The Klingle Road Environmental Assessment New York AvenueWashington, DC's New York Avenue from I-295 to the new convention center forms the New York Avenue Corridor, a major entryway into this nation's capital. It has long been an example of unplanned development resulting in a stretch of budget motels, fast food stores, car repair shops and an often-unnoticed main entrance to the National Arboretum. As far as traffic is concerned, it is defined by congestion and hazardous intersections. The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) along with the Office of Planning (OP) want to resolve current and future transportation needs of the New York Avenue Corridor. Community members, elected leaders; retail operators, real estate developers and transportation officials have been working to form a vision for the area through consensus. A major northeast arterial roadway, the Corridor is also a significant local street and one of the most heavily used commuter thoroughfares. The study area for the Corridor project is: New York Avenue (US 50) from 7th Street, NW to the intersection with Baltimore-Washington Parkway; and 7th Street from H to N Streets, NW and including 3 blocks east and west of 7th Street, NW. Please see the Final Report. To view PDF files, you can use the Adobe® Reader®. |
The Commission's Interagency Security Task Force invited four of the country's top landscape architecture firms to submit concepts for creating a pedestrian-oriented public space at Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. The firms were Balmori Associates, EDAW Inc., Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., and Peter Walker and Partners. The Commission concurred with the Interagency Security Task Force's selection of the New York based design firm of Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates to create this significant precinct. The Commission noted that the design offers an excellent conceptual starting point that can evolve to accommodate necessary modifications and refinements as the design project moves forward.
The Task Force recommended several options to help restore some of the lost transportation capacity from the closure of Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the White House. It suggested the use of Transportation Systems Management (TSM) measures, such as better synchronization of traffic signals and rigorous enforcement of parking regulations, to improve traffic congestion, and it also recommended further study on the feasibility and impacts of constructing a tunnel under Pennsylvania Avenue or E Street. Excellent detailed information can be obtained by going to the links listed below. You will need Acrobat Reader or some other program to view the files.