Park Van Ness Construction Meeting 5/29

by Marlene Berlin

Got questions about the Park Van Ness construction site? Representatives from Saul Centers, Clark Construction and DDOT will be giving a presentation on the progress and the traffic control plans for the next phase at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 29th at the Methodist home. I just want to know when we are getting our sidewalk back.

The meeting’s cohost and ANC 3F04 Commissioner Sally Gresham said at Tuesday’s ANC meeting that she gets that question a lot. One look at that man-made bluff adjacent to Connecticut Avenue will tell you that it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon, though Saul and Clark had indicated in November that the sidewalk could return after six months.

David Bardin took this photo in March:

Richard Houghton of B.F. Saul reports that for the next 30 days, construction activities will include continued excavation with heavy equipment and the use of dump trucks for hauling and continued demolition of concrete slabs, footings and foundation wall. This means more noise as the hoe ram breaking up the concrete into chunks that can be hauled away for recycling.

Then, concrete operations will begin, with the use of carpenter’s hand and power tools including hammers, circular saws, and pneumatic nailers and air compressors and welding equipment. The tower crane and concrete pumps will be used to place the new concrete, and concrete trucks will be scurrying in and out of the site.