DDOT and DC Water resolve one icy hazard on Broad Branch Road

by Marlene Berlin

Wet streets and puddles are mostly a nuisance during the warmer times of year. But now, it’s road ice season.

DDOT took care of one persistent trouble spot just before a Thanksgiving freeze. A clogged storm drain on Broad Branch Road between Soapstone Culvert and Brandywine Street had been causing puddling on the roadway for months. ANC 3F Chair Pat Jakopchek reached out to Donise Jackson, a DDOT community engagement specialist. She got the DDOT Stormwater Inspection Team to investigate.

DDOT Supervisory Engineer Ejigineh Simie standing atop the clogged storm drain (DDOT photo)

The trouble maker (DDOT photo)

“The Supervisory Engineer searched his database and found multiple requests to DC Water to clean the inlet,” said Jackson in an email, “and there has been no movement. DC Water Command Center was contacted once again to clean the inlet with letting them know that is can be hazardous if it ices.”

By noon the next day, the storm drain was cleared.

After leaves and other debris were cleared away (Marlene Berlin photo)

So cyclists and drivers had safe passage on this section of Broad Branch Road during the cold Thanksgiving holiday, and it remained puddle free despite the rain over the following two weekends.

It seems that DDOT and DC Water’s work is not yet done. Some members of the Chevy Chase listserv are calling attention to a wet and sometimes icy area where 27th Street meets Broad Branch Road. When you encounter these conditions, it’s helpful to report them to 311. And if the requests go unanswered, your local ANC commissioner can give them a nudge. (A big thank you to Pat Jakopchek for his nudging.