It won’t be long before the fences come down, and Albemarle Street reopens.
DC Water’s Soapstone sewer rehabilitation project is almost done.
Since the project started in March 2022, the century-old system of sewer lines running through the valley have been sealed and strengthened with new linings. Soapstone Creek has been reconstructed to protect the sewer system and watershed from stormwater erosion and damage. The most recent milestone, in early November, was the installation of a new manhole on Albemarle Street near one of the Soapstone trail entrances.
One of the few steps remaining is the repaving and reopening of Albemarle. DC Water says street paving is scheduled to begin on December 15th. The raised crosswalk that had been installed at 32nd and Albemarle will also return.
Weigh on on DC’s next bikeways plan
DDOT is hosting public workshops in each ward to collect feedback for its Strategic Bikeways Plan, and the Ward 3 workshop is on Wednesday, December 10th. Stop by the UDC Student Center’s second floor ballrooms between 6 to 8 p.m. to provide “your input on the future of DC’s bikeways and trails network.”
The project team will be presenting results from its evaluation of existing conditions and will be inviting community members and stakeholders to share feedback on the project team’s work to date, bicycle transportation needs, safety concerns, key gaps in the bicycle network, potential project ideas, and other local considerations…
The plan will guide the next update to the moveDC (2021) bicycle priority network by incorporating completed projects, community input, and other key factors. The goal is to support the development of a safe, connected, and comfortable bicycle network that meets the needs of all users, both now and in the future.
For those who can’t make it to the in-person session, the workshop materials are online. Feedback can be provided through December 31st via a brief survey and an interactive map.
A cyclist on Connecticut Avenue (2023 DDOT photo)
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Maria Pilar says
Thank you for the update!
Stephanie Custis says
They were repaving it today.
FHC says
We noticed that too. Looks like they milled the old surface and added at least one layer of asphalt.
Green Eyeshades says
Repaving was finished yesterday, December 12. Today, December 13, they painted all the stripes and roadbed signage. In the left lane of westbound Albemarle, DDOT repainted the left turn arrow, the word “ONLY” on pavement in left lane westbound, and the combined straight & right arrows in right lane westbound.
DDOT also repainted the double-yellow stripe for the entire block of Albemarle from 32nd to the Ave. The single lane eastbound seems to be slightly narrower than before the project.
DDOT also restored all striping on raised crosswalk at 32nd Street where it intersects Albemarle.
DDOT appeared to accelerate their work so they would finish the road before tomorrow’s snow.
FHC says
It seems unusual to see a road crew at work on a Saturday, but there they were.
Green Eyeshades says
DDOT did take Sunday, December 14, off, and skipped working in the Arctic freeze on Monday, December 15.
But today, December 16 (Tuesday), DDOT returned to pull down all of the fencing surrounding the Big Dig and in the middle of the two lanes near the commercial parking lot. DDOT left in place orange cones and one orange barrel along with a small sign at the west end of the project (at crosswalk over Albemarle).
Three “Road Closed” signs have been placed on all three lanes of the new road, facing west, just east of the curb cut for the commercial parking lot. There is no fencing in the middle of the road. All the fence is gone along the sidewalk on the north side of Albemarle. The fence sections are stacked in six-feet tall piles just west of the trailhead. Not sure whether the trailhead is open now.
Stephanie Custis says
As if 3:00 pm yesterday it was open to traffic, and the entrance to the park still had closed signs but no fence. The BI black diversion pipes were nowhere to be found.