Connecticut Avenue updates: DDOT walkthroughs; few details on future public engagement; how bikes and walkers might interact

by Marlene Berlin

DDOT has not made it clear in its public meetings and communications about the next steps of its Connecticut Avenue safety study, but the design phase now under way is to include more opportunities for public input. Those include its October Connecticut Avenue walkthroughs.

I attended parts of two of the three walkthroughs, joining the group leaders and attendees between Veazey Terrace and Davenport Street on October 11th, and from Davenport to Nebraska on October 17th. DDOT representatives were collecting comments on parking and loading issues on each block, and explaining possible solutions.

The walks had 20 or so participants each time. I saw Ward 3 Council candidate Matt Frumin and ANC 3F candidates Andrew Koval, Ryan Cudemus-Brunoli, Courtney Carlson and Rona Walters. Most of the participants were residents of the apartment buildings lining the avenue, and were knowledgeable about how the street is used. DDOT consultants were taking copious notes.

Among the concerns raised were the impacts of planned bike lanes on each side of Connecticut Avenue. Participants wondered how they might affect loading zones for and deliveries to residents from small businesses, parking for landscape and other workers who need access to the apartment buildings, and access to bus stops, particularly for those passengers with mobility issues.

Access for emergency vehicles also came up. Jami Milanovich, a transportation engineer with Wells Associates and the lead consultant on the project study, handled most of the questions. She described a bump structure along the bike lanes that emergency vehicles could easily cross.

I asked DDOT’s Ed Stollof about an issue with the process: We have not been well-informed about what the design phase entails, including how and when the community would be asked for further input. He replied with a list of elements to be included in the preliminary and final designs, then provided more detail in a later exchange.

At intersections: The plans include removing slip lanes, adding left and right turn lanes, adding or modifying crosswalks, and adding curb extensions, medians and pedestrian refuge islands. Stollof said they were also looking at adding pedestrian signals, such as HAWKS, and adjusting pedestrian crossing times.

At bus stops: Changes would include moving stops, and adding safe boarding accommodations such as platforms at the same level as the sidewalks. There may also be signs, street markings and traffic calming features on the approaches to the stops.

In parking and loading areas: DDOT is looking at adding ADA-compliant parking spaces including provisions for wheelchair access, and revising parking locations and durations. In other words, we could see more short-term parking. Stollof said the design team would also be revising parking and loading plans based on the comments from the walkthroughs.

I did not get an answer to my question about the input process. DDOT community relations specialist Christian Piñeiro, at ANC 3F’s October 18th meeting, talked about the public engagement process thus far, and his presentation included a slide that mentioned public meetings “at strategic points in the design and construction process,” but he did not provide any specifics about future opportunities for public feedback.

DDOT also has yet to detail how it will engage the senior community on their Connecticut Avenue safety needs. DDOT’s Stollof said the management of senior residences along the avenue had been contacted about the study. However, Chevy Chase House, Regency House, Sunrise Senior Living and Forest Hills of DC told me and community member William Sittig that they did not know about the plan for bike lanes. Nor did Northwest Neighbors Village and Cleveland Park Village.

I passed this information along to the Mayor’s Office of Racial Equity, which is performing a “racial equity impact analysis” of the project, currently set for December release. This is the first DC transportation project to undergo such a study, and is to include impacts on seniors and people with disabilities.

Piñeiro’s ANC presentation included a new slide on how bike lanes might be designed with pedestrian safety in mind:

It says:

The project will adopt a design approach that will bolster pedestrian safety by:

1. Implementing marked crosswalks at bicycle lanes at key locations, using high visibility markings.
2. Utilizing strategic signage to alert cyclists to the presence of pedestrians.
3. Ensuring clear sight lines at accessible parking spaces by meeting ADA aisle width requirements.
4. Using bicycle traffic calming techniques at targeted locations, where warranted.

“This is not a bike lane project,” Piñeiro said. “I know that’s kind of a big piece of the pie but it’s really just a safety improvement project at the core of what we’re doing. It’s taking one stretch of road and seeing how we can make it useful for all modes of transportation.”

Piñeiro’s presentation also listed potential locations for DDOT traffic calming reviews on neighborhood streets due to concerns about cut-through traffic. Those include Reno Road at 41st Street, Chevy Chase Parkway, Nevada Avenue, Utah Avenue, Broad Branch Road/Beach Drive, Linnean Avenue and Albemarle Street.