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District of Columbia

Started by Alex, April 07, 2009, 01:22:25 PM

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1995hoo

That's probably a beat-up old sign for RFK Stadium.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


machpost

Just got this traffic advisory from DC Alert:

Quote(Washington, DC) - The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will temporarily close lanes, ramps and shoulders on the following roadways to perform construction activities along I-395 and I-695 for the replacement of signage and sign structures. Work is scheduled to take place starting Tuesday, June 1 through Friday, June 11, 2021, weather permitting.

Weekdays from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.:
* Single Left Lane Closure on Center Leg Freeway Southbound south of the 3 rd Street Tunnel.
* Full closure of the ramps from C Street SW and Washington Avenue SW to I-695 Eastbound.
* Full closure of ramp from I-395 Northbound to C Street SW.
* Single Right Lane Closure on ramp from I-695 Westbound to Center Leg Freeway.
* Single Right Lane Closure in both directions on New York Avenue NE from West Virginia Avenue NE to east of Bladensburg Road NE (starting at 9:30 a.m.).

For the C Street SW and Washington Avenue SW ramp closures, vehicles will be detoured using Independence Avenue SW, 9th Street Expressway, and I-395 Northbound. If access to Independence Avenue is prohibited due to security measures, vehicles will be detoured using 2nd Street SW, I-395 Southbound, 7th Street SW, and I-395 Northbound.

For the closure of the C Street SW ramp from I-395 Northbound, vehicles will be detoured using I-695 Eastbound, South Capitol Street SE/SW (U-turning at M Street SE/SW), and Washington Avenue SW.

The Interstate 395 (I-395) Sign Structure project focuses on the replacement and repair of existing sign structures along the I-395 corridor; and on New York Avenue NE, east of Bladensburg Road NE. This includes the corridor-wide furnishing and installation of overhead traffic guide signs (sign mounting structures and panels), electrical systems, and lighting fixtures. There will also be the removal of existing overhead signs, sign structures, and electrical systems.

For more information about the Interstate 395 Sign Structure Improvement Project and to stay up-to-date on traffic related impacts and construction progress, please visit: https://ddot.dc.gov/

74/171FAN

^Is there anyway to access the signage plans for this?  I cannot find anything on DDOT's website.
I am now a PennDOT employee.  My opinions/views do not necessarily reflect the opinions/views of PennDOT.

cpzilliacus

Part of Beach Drive will stay closed to cars while National Park Service studies permanent closure - The Park Service said it will continue to limit daily traffic on the road at least into the fall.

QuoteThe National Park Service will keep part of Beach Drive car-free through Rock Creek Park while it analyzes what would happen if it made the restriction permanent, the agency said Friday.

QuoteThe northern section of Beach Drive was closed to vehicles in April 2020 as the coronavirus raged, creating a popular weekday recreation area for people on foot and bikes. Before the pandemic, commuters used the route to make their way downtown from Northwest D.C. and Maryland. It was closed to cars only on weekends and holidays.

QuoteThe Park Service said it will continue to restrict cars on the road at least into the fall, when it will present its analysis and options – shaped by public feedback – for the future.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

AlexandriaVA

Upper Beach Drive is a nice hike through the city. That commuter route is really only useful for Chevy Chase residents heading downtown.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: AlexandriaVA on June 12, 2021, 08:03:21 PM
Upper Beach Drive is a nice hike through the city. That commuter route is really only useful for Chevy Chase residents heading downtown.

And Silver Spring and Kensington and Wheaton.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

mrsman

Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 13, 2021, 01:58:24 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on June 12, 2021, 08:03:21 PM
Upper Beach Drive is a nice hike through the city. That commuter route is really only useful for Chevy Chase residents heading downtown.

And Silver Spring and Kensington and Wheaton.

I have some mixed feelings on this.  I work in Downtown DC, but have been WFH for the past 15 months, and probably won't get sent back to the office till September.  I usually commute by Metro, but commuting by driving (or bus, which would also be subject to traffic) is not completely out of the qn, especially if I have errands to run after work.

I am concerned that the closure of Beach dr will certainly make driving Downtown a bit harder and will cause some congestion spillover onto other parallel streets.  One thing that they should consider is an all-way stop at Beach and Bladgen, as there will likely be a lot more traffic using Bladgen as a connetor to 16th

At the same time, having the recreational space of RC Pk would be a definite plus for a lot of people.  So, I prefer to be cautious.  NPS  and DDOT need to monitor traffic levels on all neighboing steets, local and regional, to determine whether reopening would be necessary.  Under no circumstance should NPS permanently give up the rights to reopen, as they must keep track of the causes and effects.

And they really must wait to judge traffic in the fall when kids go back to school and (as expected) the gov't and most other DC employers bring their workers back to determine what the true traffic levels are.  If a partial WFH becomes the new normal, perhaps there would be enough traffic displaced by WFH to enable a Beach Dr closure without deleterious traffic affect.  But we certainly won't know that during the summer, when traffic is generally lighter any way.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: mrsman on June 13, 2021, 11:12:13 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on June 13, 2021, 01:58:24 PM
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on June 12, 2021, 08:03:21 PM
Upper Beach Drive is a nice hike through the city. That commuter route is really only useful for Chevy Chase residents heading downtown.

And Silver Spring and Kensington and Wheaton.

I have some mixed feelings on this.  I work in Downtown DC, but have been WFH for the past 15 months, and probably won't get sent back to the office till September.  I usually commute by Metro, but commuting by driving (or bus, which would also be subject to traffic) is not completely out of the qn, especially if I have errands to run after work.

I am concerned that the closure of Beach dr will certainly make driving Downtown a bit harder and will cause some congestion spillover onto other parallel streets.  One thing that they should consider is an all-way stop at Beach and Bladgen, as there will likely be a lot more traffic using Bladgen as a connetor to 16th

At the same time, having the recreational space of RC Pk would be a definite plus for a lot of people.  So, I prefer to be cautious.  NPS  and DDOT need to monitor traffic levels on all neighboing steets, local and regional, to determine whether reopening would be necessary.  Under no circumstance should NPS permanently give up the rights to reopen, as they must keep track of the causes and effects.

And they really must wait to judge traffic in the fall when kids go back to school and (as expected) the gov't and most other DC employers bring their workers back to determine what the true traffic levels are.  If a partial WFH becomes the new normal, perhaps there would be enough traffic displaced by WFH to enable a Beach Dr closure without deleterious traffic affect.  But we certainly won't know that during the summer, when traffic is generally lighter any way.

My issue with this is that people are spinning it as being about COVID19 and the resulting reduction in traffic.  It's not.  Efforts to close Beach Drive, N.W. to Maryland drivers have been going on for at least 20 years, maybe 30 years.  One of the most-noxious of he anti-ICC crowd also carried on in favor of closing Beach Drive, N.W. (at the time this person lived in Takoma Park) and ran a group called "Auto Free D.C." (now defunct).  It was about closing it.  It was not about reducing traffic.  Consider also that D.C. residents would likely react with fury if the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway (south of the southern terminus of Beach Drive just south of the Calvert Street Bridge and the Taft Bridge (Connecticut Avenue, N.W.)). 

The Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway is also NPS property, just as Beach Drive is as far north as the Maryland border - why not close all of it?
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

mrsman

I don't discount the threat of the anti-road folks.  They have a very political agenda and in the current political climate, their voice is getting stronger.  In the interests of climate change, they would love to have everyone give up their cars and bike or take transit everywhere.   Short of mandating that, they are happy to make driving as miserable as possible by promoting the cancellation of freeways, traffic calming, increased driving costs, and other measures.

At the same time, even if I don't like the messenger, I can still like the message.  I don't think there is a risk of closing the more southerly sections of Beach drive or RC Pkwy, because they are currently open.  It is not yet part of the discussion, so i don't think it should be worried about.  RC Pkwy is known as the relief valve to relieve Connecticut Ave traffic as it necks down from 4 SB rush hour lanes near the zoo to 2 as it goes over the bridge.  It is also a busier section.

THe plan as is would still leave many parts open in order to drive to the parking lots within the park.  The southern part needs to be open to access the zoo.

cpzilliacus

Quote from: mrsman on June 14, 2021, 04:28:43 PM
I don't discount the threat of the anti-road folks.  They have a very political agenda and in the current political climate, their voice is getting stronger.  In the interests of climate change, they would love to have everyone give up their cars and bike or take transit everywhere.   Short of mandating that, they are happy to make driving as miserable as possible by promoting the cancellation of freeways, traffic calming, increased driving costs, and other measures.

All of this in support of the mythical idea that these sorts of measures will force people out of their cars and onto public transportation, which usually does not happen.

Quote from: mrsman on June 14, 2021, 04:28:43 PM
At the same time, even if I don't like the messenger, I can still like the message.  I don't think there is a risk of closing the more southerly sections of Beach drive or RC Pkwy, because they are currently open.  It is not yet part of the discussion, so i don't think it should be worried about.  RC Pkwy is known as the relief valve to relieve Connecticut Ave traffic as it necks down from 4 SB rush hour lanes near the zoo to 2 as it goes over the bridge.  It is also a busier section.

My guess is that if they succeed in closing permanently all or most of Beach Drive, then they will try to get added sections closed for good as well.

Quote from: mrsman on June 14, 2021, 04:28:43 PM
THe plan as is would still leave many parts open in order to drive to the parking lots within the park.  The southern part needs to be open to access the zoo.

The persons and groups in favor of closure don't care about drivers needing to transit the area to the east of the National Zoo.  In their stated opinion, those drivers should be taking the Metrorail Red Line (never mind that its operations will be severely impacted by construction projects (to include a long-term single-tracking operation) in the coming months) and never mind that their destinations may not be near a Metro station).
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

1995hoo

#1235
It appears a pedestrian bridge has collapsed on DC-295.

https://twitter.com/STATter911/status/1407739480283488256


Edited to add a second tweet with better pictures:

https://twitter.com/dcfireems/status/1407742978907676678
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

jakeroot

Memories of the pedestrian bridge collapse outside Miami are suddenly flashing in my mind. Really creepy.

Glad no one was killed.

jmacswimmer

One of the tweets I found (from WTOP Traffic) states that the pedestrian overpass was "struck" - and there is a truck partially stuck beneath the bridge.  Will be interesting to see what the preliminary investigation determines.

Also worth noting that there are 2 other pedestrian overpasses just northeast of the collapsed one that appear to be of similar age/design (if it was in fact a structural failure).

https://twitter.com/WTOPtraffic/status/1407734511106932748

Quote from: Dave Statter on June 23, 2021, 12:46:45 PM
This seems like a good time to remind news folks (and others) that this is NOT I-295. This is DC-295. There is a differencee.

FWIW, A quick peek at MDOT's CHART website shows they got it wrong too...a couple VMS's on I-95/495 & US 50 in the area are currently displaying:

      CRASH IN D.C.
I-295 S AT BENNING RD
   ALL LANES CLOSED
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

AlexandriaVA

Pulled open the traffic layer for Google Maps.

Obviously DC-295/I-295 is all held up, but it appears that traffic has largely diverted to the Beltway. The section near Landover/Andrews AB are noticeably slow as well.

1995hoo

Quote from: jmacswimmer on June 23, 2021, 01:18:04 PM
....

Quote from: Dave Statter on June 23, 2021, 12:46:45 PM
This seems like a good time to remind news folks (and others) that this is NOT I-295. This is DC-295. There is a differencee.

FWIW, A quick peek at MDOT's CHART website shows they got it wrong too...a couple VMS's on I-95/495 & US 50 in the area are currently displaying:

      CRASH IN D.C.
I-295 S AT BENNING RD
   ALL LANES CLOSED

https://twitter.com/DildineWTOP/status/1407755019391225859
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


davewiecking

#1241
Strong suspicion is that the dump rolloff truck under the bridge debris had its bed up, causing the collapse.

Edited to correct type of truck, and to post that: Apparently it was not carrying a dumpster at the time.

1995hoo

#1242
Quote from: AlexandriaVA on June 23, 2021, 01:47:15 PM
Also, it seems like it's the pedestrian bridge at Lane Pl NE

....

That looks correct to me. Polk Street is TWO pedestrian bridges further to the north and is a decent bit more than half a mile from Benning Road.

Edited to add: WTOP's article is clearer and says it's near the "Polk Street Service Road exit."  :rolleyes:

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/06/6-injured-after-pedestrian-bridge-collapses-in-ne-dc-closes-i-295/
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

MASTERNC

What a mess on the Beltway because of this

cpzilliacus

#1244
A few comments:

1. This is not the first time a pedestrian bridge has been knocked down by a truck on DC-295.  There used to be an identical bridge over DC-295 between Benning Road, N.E. and Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, N.E. that was knocked down by an overheight truck in the 1970's or 1980's (before it was signed as DC-295).  A new (and higher) bridge was built and stands there today.

2.  There is an abandoned railroad bridge where carloads of coal used to be delivered to the now-defunct PEPCO Benning Road generating station just north of Benning Road, N.E.  The generating station is long-gone and torn-down but the bridge remains.  It has also been struck several times but because it is a lot more robust design and construction, it has not been severely damaged.  But DDOT should still remove it, as it is unlikely that a train will ever again visit the PEPCO Benning Road property (they use it as storage yard and parking area for their truck fleet).

3.  The bridges (or now bridge) over DC-295 between Nannie Helen Burroughs and Eastern Avenue, N.E. were built in the late 1950's or early 1960's and do not comply with current height standards for Interstates.  Yes, I know DC-295 is not an interstate but it functions as one. I think these bridges were about 13' 9" (4.2 meters).  Current standard for vertical clearance now days seems to be about 16' 0" (about 4.9 metes).

4.  Northbound has a sign after Benning Road but does not show what the overhead clearance is (here).  Southbound has a sign on MD-201 before Eastern Avenue, N.E. but it is on the left behind a steel guardrail, apparently because drunk drivers on their way home to D.C. kept hitting it (here).

Washington Post article here.
Opinions expressed here on AAROADS are strictly personal and mine alone, and do not reflect policies or positions of MWCOG, NCRTPB or their member federal, state, county and municipal governments or any other agency.

jmacswimmer

A northbound driver posted their dashcam footage of the collapse as it happened - looks pretty clear the truck did indeed cause it.

https://twitter.com/thesierrafox/status/1407900929152716800
"Now, what if da Bearss were to enter the Indianapolis 5-hunnert?"
"How would they compete?"
"Let's say they rode together in a big buss."
"Is Ditka driving?"
"Of course!"
"Then I like da Bear buss."
"DA BEARSSS BUSSSS"

1995hoo

WTOP has the same video, but it looked less grainy on their website (at least, it looked less grainy on my screen). The highway has reopened already.

https://wtop.com/dc/2021/06/6-injured-after-pedestrian-bridge-collapses-in-ne-dc-closes-i-295/
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

1995hoo

WTOP reports that the FHWA approved the Interstate renumbering for I-395 and I-695. There's a bit of editorializing about I-695 late in the article.

Edited to add: If you click through and expand the photo captions, you'll find the term "big green signs."
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Henry

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2021, 08:08:18 AM
WTOP reports that the FHWA approved the Interstate renumbering for I-395 and I-695. There's a bit of editorializing about I-695 late in the article.

Edited to add: If you click through and expand the photo captions, you'll find the term "big green signs."
No one's going to miss I-695, but the introduction of I-195 will probably open the door to new confusion with another Baltimore 3di (in this case, it's the one that clearly runs east-west from Catonsville to the BWI Airport).
Go Cubs Go! Go Cubs Go! Hey Chicago, what do you say? The Cubs are gonna win today!

froggie

Quote from: Henry on July 07, 2021, 10:45:26 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 07, 2021, 08:08:18 AM
WTOP reports that the FHWA approved the Interstate renumbering for I-395 and I-695. There's a bit of editorializing about I-695 late in the article.

Edited to add: If you click through and expand the photo captions, you'll find the term "big green signs."
No one's going to miss I-695, but the introduction of I-195 will probably open the door to new confusion with another Baltimore 3di (in this case, it's the one that clearly runs east-west from Catonsville to the BWI Airport).

Doubtful.  There isn't much confusion between the two I-395s...and most of that is from clueless tourists who don't know how to read a map to begin with.



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