DDOT installs a raised crosswalk at 32nd and Albemarle Streets

by Paul Harrison

A raised crosswalk and curb cuts have been installed at Albemarle and 32nd Streets, a location where many seniors and young families cross to go to school, the Metro, shopping, or Soapstone Park.

Raised crosswalks are a combination of a painted crosswalk and a speed hump, and they make it safer to cross the street. Other recently installed examples in the neighborhood are behind Sidwell Middle School at the intersections of 37th and Van Ness and Upton Streets.

We are lucky to live in a neighborhood whose natural beauty, Metro access, and retail destinations can make walking a healthy and enjoyable transportation option. Unfortunately, the area’s semi-suburban layout and history mean that sidewalks and crosswalks aren’t always there when schoolchildren, seniors, and the rest of us need them. That’s why a group of neighbors has been working consistently under the auspices of Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 3F and its Streets and Sidewalks Committee to identify and solve the gaps in our walking infrastructure.

The intersection of 32nd and Albemarle has long been high on the list.

Getting this crossing improved started with identifying it to DDOT and conducting an online survey of neighbors to gauge interest. We took representatives from DDOT, Mayor Bowser’s office, and Ward 3 Council member Matt Frumin’s office to the intersection to show them how many people crossed there, how vehicles speed through our neighborhood, and how the intersection serves as the walking gateway to Soapstone Park.

The intersection is in ANC 3F Commissioner Teri Huet’s single-member district. Follow-up with DDOT from her, fellow Commissioner Courtney Carlson, and the Streets and Sidewalks Committee helped keep focus on getting this done. We were particularly appreciative of how the safety and engineering team at DDOT worked flexibly to design the crosswalk and curb cuts around the existing stormwater catch basin, which couldn’t otherwise be moved.

Later this year, DDOT plans to install two speed tables (wide, traffic-calming humps like the raised crosswalk) on the 3100 block of Albemarle Street.

Our neighborhood still has many sidewalk and crosswalk gaps, and the appearance of quiet suburban side streets can hide the fact that it just takes one distracted or impatient driver to discourage people from walking or even injure or kill pedestrians. Neighbors interested in the Streets and Sidewalks Committee’s ongoing work are encouraged to hear more about it and learn how to participate during the monthly ANC meetings.

Paul Harrison is chair of the ANC 3F Streets and Sidewalks Committee, and is an at-large member of the DC Pedestrian Advisory Council. He lives with his family on the 3000 block of Albemarle Street.