For several weeks, with the DC Water Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project on pause, the Soapstone Park trailhead at Albemarle Street was closed in name only. Dog walkers, hikers and runners were able to easily slip through an opening in the chain link fence. But with the work starting up again, more of an effort has […]
DC Water is getting ready to make some noise at the Albemarle Street sewer project site
DC Water has placed sound-proofing materials around its Albemarle Street/Soapstone sewer work site. So what’s it for? At some point soon, the contractors expanding and replacing a too-small manhole just east of Connecticut Avenue will be making a lot of noise. The work will involve drilling and pile driving. That is actually more complicated than […]
Backyard Nature: When pollen attacks
by Marlene Berlin To all the spring allergy sufferers out there: pick your poison. It is tree pollen season in DC, and pollen levels have been in the high or very high range, according to various news sources and weather sites. And the two most visible causes of your irritated sinuses, your runny nose, and […]
Why a construction crew is back in the Soapstone Valley
by Marlene Berlin Construction work is under way in the Soapstone Valley for the first time since DC Water wrapped up the bulk of its sewer rehabilitation project in 2024. This time, it’s for a different project. It’s happening here, between Linnean Avenue north of the park and Soapstone Creek: And the reason it’s been […]
Soapstone Trail segment closed temporarily for work on new erosion project
One of the park alerts on the Rock Creek NPS website states: March 10-14: Soapstone Valley Trail closed Soapstone Valley Trail will be closed between Broad Branch Road NW and the dead end of Audubon Terrace NW from 3/10 to 3/14. This closure allows for the beginning of a project to repair erosion damage and […]
July end dates for two Soapstone Valley projects (including the one closing part of Albemarle Street)
The closed section of Albemarle Street east of Connecticut Avenue will remain closed to vehicle traffic for the next six months. DC Water, during ANC 3F’s January 14th meeting, revealed its latest timeline and an end-of-July completion date for the final phase of the Soapstone Valley sewer project that began in March 2022. Only one […]
Photos: A snowy and sunny walk in the woods
by Marlene Berlin Last Sunday, after days of cold, the temperature reached a high of over 40. I decided it was warm and sunny enough to venture into Rock Creek Park and the Soapstone Valley. The snowy scenes that greeted me did not disappoint. To take this trek, I highly recommend ice cleats. They fit […]
To these neighbors, the Albemarle Street closure is a “total delight”
by Marlene Berlin After a DC Water project closed Albemarle Street between Connecticut Avenue and 30th Street in September, neighbors on Brandywine and Davenport Streets reported a significant increase in vehicle traffic. On Albemarle, to the east of the closure, they threw a block party. Absent the cars speeding up and down the street, residents […]
DC Water is replacing 31 dead Soapstone Trail trees
by Marlene Berlin The number one question our readers ask us is: When will MOM’s Organic Market open? Perhaps the second most-asked question is: What’s the deal with the dead trees on the reopened Soapstone Trail? The trees were planted fairly recently as part of the Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project. And they are being replaced. […]
The new plan for DC Water’s Albemarle Street manhole project, and the reason for the delay
by Marlene Berlin Two months ago, DC Water’s contractor found something it wasn’t expecting when it opened up a section of Albemarle Street for a manhole replacement project: a 72-inch storm drain underneath the century-old manhole structure. The surprise find upended the agency’s plan for safely shoring up the work site and stopped the project […]