In news to gladden anyone who has ever had to walk, bike or cross Maryland Avenue NE on foot, the safety project is slated to begin on June 10 and will be completed by the summer of 2021. Phil Toomajian, ANC 6A Vice Chair, shared the happy news yesterday afternoon, as well as some forwarded information from the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). If you were one of the neighbors who attended meetings, shared feedback or relentlessly complained about Maryland Avenue on multiple platforms, CONGRATULATIONS! Hard work can pay off. Take it away, Phil:
Construction on the long-promised and much-anticipated Maryland Avenue Safety Project is scheduled to begin next week. Both DDOT contractors and Washington Gas will be working along the corridor. Both will also provide an update at ANC6A’s June 9 meeting. This project will go along way towards improving safety along one of our major overbuilt and often dangerous roads. Hopefully, it’s the first of a number of major safety improvements to our community roads. Thanks are in order to many neighbors and ANC commissioners who have over the years helped hold DDOT’s feet to the fire to press for safer streets here. ANC6A will continue to press for improvements to unsafe intersections — like 10th & East Capitol, which will soon be converted to an all-way stop and C Street, Florida Avenue, and K Street — until vision zero is a reality in our neighborhood.
From the DDOT portion of the email, this is what you need to know:
- Work will begin on the inbound lanes of Maryland Avenue from 14th Street toward 3rd Street, NE. The permitted construction hours are Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- Over the next two years, Maryland Avenue, NE will be subject to alternative traffic patterns, temporary lane closures, and parking restrictions.
- DDOT will notify the public in advance of any traffic shifts. Signage and protective barriers will be used to guide people through the work zone area. Motorists should anticipate delays due to shifting traffic patterns. Please stay alert while traveling to this location and be observant of road work crews.
- The project will improve the safety of Maryland Avenue, between 2nd Street NW to 14th Street NE by reducing the number of traffic lanes from four to two, adding bicycle lanes, and curb extensions to reduce the length of the pedestrian crossings, upgrading wheelchair ramps, and improving the traffic signal operations.
- Washington Gas has an ongoing project within the same project area as the Maryland Avenue, NE Streetscape Project, and they are working outbound from 3rd Street toward 14th Street, NE. For more information about that project, visit their website at: https://www.washingtongas.com.
- For more information about the Maryland Avenue NE Streetscape Project and to stay up-to-date on traffic-related impact, please visit http://marylandavesafety.org.