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District of Columbia

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

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1995hoo

Went through the Ninth Street Tunnel late last night on the way home from the 9:30 Club. The old button-copy signs through there are no more–new signs have been posted as part of the effort to sign I-695. Signs for the left exit now list I-395 to I-695. The sign for the straight-through movement no longer mentions the Maine Avenue waterfront because it's been demolished for redevelopment, and the sign for the right exit now lists Richmond instead of simply saying "Virginia." (There's also only one sign for that exit, right at the exit itself; I don't know whether that's a temporary change.)

Button-copy aficionados can still find some on the ramp from the tunnel to southbound I-395/westbound Maine Avenue (one button-copy assembly left there) and on westbound Maine Avenue just east of the exit for the 12th Street Tunnel.

The aggressive sign replacement in DC makes me wonder how long the ancient sign bridge on I-66 near the Kennedy Center has left (hopefully the project in the tunnel is simply because of the desire to post I-695). I'm driving my wife to work near there this morning because she needs to make a stop en route in an area with little parking, so I'll take a slight detour and check on it when I'm leaving the District.
"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.


cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on September 12, 2014, 07:59:40 AM
The aggressive sign replacement in DC makes me wonder how long the ancient sign bridge on I-66 near the Kennedy Center has left (hopefully the project in the tunnel is simply because of the desire to post I-695). I'm driving my wife to work near there this morning because she needs to make a stop en route in an area with little parking, so I'll take a slight detour and check on it when I'm leaving the District.

If you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.
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.

cpzilliacus

Dr. Gridlock in the Washington Post: D.C. government practices abuse public trust in traffic enforcement programs

QuoteGovernments raise money from a variety of human failings. Could be smoking, could be breaking traffic laws.

QuoteTaxes and fines can discourage the behavior. But sometimes the government becomes an addict, relying so heavily on the revenue that it loses focus on the behavior it was trying to moderate.

QuoteThat's what was so disheartening about the new D.C. inspector general's report highlighting the various ways in which the city government abuses public trust in its traffic enforcement programs.

QuoteThe inspector general knows what you're thinking. "Skeptical members of the public might believe that the District's failure to inform them on this subject is intentional: Without clear criteria of the District's ticketing policy, a ticketed motorist is unable to prove that DDOT enforcement officers failed to follow proper procedure."

QuoteAll the administrative vagaries unify around one concept: They make it easy to raise revenue, and they make it difficult to challenge a ticket.

QuoteAnd it's not just the city bureaucracy. "There are essentially no statutory restrictions on the District's burgeoning network of speed, red light, and pedestrian safety enforcement cameras,"  the inspector general's report said. "Other jurisdictions have imposed specific limits on the numbers and uses of cameras, and even the hours of the day during which they may be in operation."
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.

storm2k

QuoteIf you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.

I believe that's in reference to this gantry which has survived since pretty much the dawn of Interstate time.

1995hoo

Quote from: storm2k on September 16, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
QuoteIf you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.

I believe that's in reference to this gantry which has survived since pretty much the dawn of Interstate time.

You are correct. It was still in place as of Friday morning.
"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

The previous page of this thread has a bunch of photos of I-395 and various new signs. I went through there eastbound last night on the way home from a Caps preseason game (Ninth Street Tunnel--->I-395--->I-695--->I-295) and I noted further new signs. Also got a look at some new overhead APL signs today from the upper level at Nationals Park. I'll try to upload video captures Sunday or, more likely, Monday. Some of the screwy exit numbers have been changed, though there's still some oddness. I-695 is far more clearly posted than it ever was before.

I have to say DC has put some real effort into upgrading their signage.

At some point I need to drop down under the L'Enfant Promenade to see if the I-95 BGS is still there.....
"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.

Doctor Whom

Last night, when coming back from the Folger, I took westbound 695 to southbound 395.  There is now a prominent "END 695" sign.

Alex

Drove through DC on Tuseday night while flaroads shot video and noticed several of the new signs posted since last August. Would love to acquire some new photos to update the main DC area pages.

1995hoo

I'm not sure I can generate any good video captures from Friday night's drive because I was getting some camera vibration (I ordered a new suction-cup mount this morning) and because the image is kind of grainy. But here's the video of the trip through the Ninth Street Tunnel and across I-695 so you can see the new signs. The signs look to be a work still in progress–I note from reviewing the video the exit numbers are still somewhat illogical because I-695 is numbered as Exit 2 from I-395, yet the next exit had we continued on I-395 into the Third Street Tunnel is still Exit 6. I didn't use I-395 en route to Nationals Park for Saturday's ballgame due to traffic, so I have not yet confirmed whether they've revised the exit numbers for 12th Street and the Maine Avenue exit. As of last Tuesday, when I attended the Winter Classic press conference at the ballpark, those two exits were still Exits 3 and 4, respectively.

The empty space and greenout on the signs for the new exit for 11th Street SE is most likely there for the new at-grade boulevard now under construction where the eastern stub of I-295 used to be (segment between the bridge and Barney Circle). It's generally been referred to as "Southeast Boulevard," though I don't know whether the DC DOT has formally adopted that name.

"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.

cpzilliacus

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.

Pete from Boston

We've all always known that lawbreaking was integral to the functioning of our nation's capital, but I guess I never fully appreciated the extent.

vdeane

Ticket revenues should not be a part of the budget!
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Brandon

"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

cpzilliacus

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.

NE2

Quote from: storm2k on September 16, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
QuoteIf you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.

I believe that's in reference to this gantry which has survived since pretty much the dawn of Interstate time.

Anyone know what's under the wood at left and right?
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

froggie

Nobody really knows.  There's been speculation of such at a couple of DC meets, but that's about it.

My theory is some sort of I-695 shield, as I-695 was slated for the West Leg.

1995hoo

#316
Quote from: NE2 on October 01, 2014, 08:54:16 AM
Quote from: storm2k on September 16, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
QuoteIf you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.

I believe that's in reference to this gantry which has survived since pretty much the dawn of Interstate time.

Anyone know what's under the wood at left and right?

Been mentioned in several threads and nobody knows. I'd love to get a look under there, but I fear the assembly will be replaced without us ever getting to see. I suspect the one on the left is probably an I-695 sign. That route was originally planned to connect from the Roosevelt Bridge to what is now I-395, with I-66 feeding into it from both directions, and DC probably went ahead and put up the sign and never removed it.

As for the far right, I have no idea.

I'm afraid to ask a local reporter like Dr. Gridlock or Adam Tuss because I'm sure if they asked District authorities, it'd lead to the assembly being replaced.


Edited to add: This map shows where I-695 would have run. The assembly discussed above is off the map at the top left. It's just as well this road was never built. The impact on the Mall, West Potomac Park, and Tidal Basin areas would have been considerable, and for the most part the existing Independence Avenue does well enough at handling the traffic. Of course it sometimes gets overburdened, especially in March/April around cherry blossom time, but it's not enough of a problem to warrant an Interstate highway there. It probably would have been a substandard highway by today's standards, too.

"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.

ARMOURERERIC

The video was great, but that merge from the 9th street tunnel to 395 EB looks dangerous.  Plus, wow the freeway lighting seems subpar.

1995hoo

Quote from: ARMOURERERIC on October 01, 2014, 11:12:07 AM
The video was great, but that merge from the 9th street tunnel to 395 EB looks dangerous.  Plus, wow the freeway lighting seems subpar.

Thanks. I've never found the lighting all that terrible, but then, I've lived here a long time so I know the road, and no doubt my HID headlights help!

The merge can be extremely dangerous. It's actually easier at night than it is during the day because, in theory at least, you have the headlights helping you to see the cars coming up in the left lane (although on average I see at least one vehicle with no headlights at some point during any trip home from Verizon Center). The ramp itself makes it very hard to see approaching cars during the day. Speed limit there is 40 mph, but it's quite unusual to see anyone obeying that, to the point where DC is installing a new speed camera on the right side of the road just prior to that merge point. The camera isn't active yet because people pointed out the first 40-mph sign doesn't appear until after you pass the camera and DC agreed that wasn't fair. Other thing is, there's a lot of lane-changing going on in that area. The old signs just prior to the merge point used to tell traffic bound for C Street NW, the US Capitol, and the House to be in the LEFT lane when they actually needed to be in the RIGHT lane to head for the Third Street Tunnel. People unfamiliar with the area would panic due to the need to change lanes so quickly. The new sign is not perfect, but it's better. Of course, you still have plenty of aggressive drivers who will try to use the left lane to bomb past people and then cut over at the last second, too.
"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.

vdeane

Quote from: 1995hoo on October 01, 2014, 09:02:01 AM
Quote from: NE2 on October 01, 2014, 08:54:16 AM
Quote from: storm2k on September 16, 2014, 01:32:19 PM
QuoteIf you are speaking of the sign bridge that has the variable I-66 HOV information on it, DDOT would need to coordinate that with VDOT, since VDOT controls the variable messages on the sign.

I believe that's in reference to this gantry which has survived since pretty much the dawn of Interstate time.

Anyone know what's under the wood at left and right?

Been mentioned in several threads and nobody knows. I'd love to get a look under there, but I fear the assembly will be replaced without us ever getting to see. I suspect the one on the left is probably an I-695 sign. That route was originally planned to connect from the Roosevelt Bridge to what is now I-395, with I-66 feeding into it from both directions, and DC probably went ahead and put up the sign and never removed it.

As for the far right, I have no idea.

I'm afraid to ask a local reporter like Dr. Gridlock or Adam Tuss because I'm sure if they asked District authorities, it'd lead to the assembly being replaced.


Edited to add: This map shows where I-695 would have run. The assembly discussed above is off the map at the top left. It's just as well this road was never built. The impact on the Mall, West Potomac Park, and Tidal Basin areas would have been considerable, and for the most part the existing Independence Avenue does well enough at handling the traffic. Of course it sometimes gets overburdened, especially in March/April around cherry blossom time, but it's not enough of a problem to warrant an Interstate highway there. It probably would have been a substandard highway by today's standards, too.


A freeway right on top of the FDR memorial?  No thanks.  But there's no denying that Dad would have been a lot less aggravated with DC traffic if he could have avoided surface streets when trying to make our way back to the hotel from the FDR and Jefferson memorials (the one time we drove in DC, because of coming from Mount Vernon).
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

1995hoo

Quote from: vdeane on October 01, 2014, 01:26:52 PM
A freeway right on top of the FDR memorial?  No thanks.  But there's no denying that Dad would have been a lot less aggravated with DC traffic if he could have avoided surface streets when trying to make our way back to the hotel from the FDR and Jefferson memorials (the one time we drove in DC, because of coming from Mount Vernon).

That map makes it look like a very short tunnel in that area, but yeah, that would be a bad location for a highway (the Martin Luther King memorial is now just east of where that tunnel is depicted, too).

I can't help but wonder how a tunnel and associated vibrations might have affected the Lincoln Memorial. I'm sure the engineers would have worked it all out, but I have no idea how far into the design and engineering phase the plans for that road proceeded. When I was a kid there were tours offered underneath the Lincoln Memorial from time to time and I remember going on the tour once. It's a strange, creepy place–reminds me a bit of some of the larger rooms in Moria in the Peter Jackson adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring (though of course on a smaller scale than what Moria was supposed to be). Lots of massive pillars, to be sure, but the whole area is "reclaimed" land and there's definite water seepage in places because one area had a lot of stalactites. I don't doubt a highway tunnel would have had some kind of effect on the memorial or, alternatively, would have been extremely expensive to construct due to the need to protect the memorial and its foundation. That tunnel would have passed pretty close to the foundation's western side.

I will concede the highway there would have made a difference for my wife's commute on days when she drives. She works at the Watergate complex and it's a hassle to get from there to southbound I-395 in Virginia in the afternoons due to Rock Creek Parkway and Ohio Drive being one-way outbound from the light south of the Lincoln Memorial. (It's not much easier in the mornings if I drop her off, either, but the difficulty is for different reasons.)

I don't have the time to look for the image online just now, but somewhere there's an image of an old propaganda poster used by the anti-highway people that depicted the highway tunnel emerging in front of the Lincoln Memorial where the Reflecting Pool is. That wasn't at all what was planned, but it was still a pretty effective image. An Interstate highway through that park-like area would have radically changed things.
"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.

Laura

Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 30, 2014, 02:38:15 PM
Quote from: Brandon on September 30, 2014, 01:58:03 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on September 30, 2014, 10:44:48 AM
Washington Post: Declining traffic-camera revenue threatens to unbalance D.C.'s budget

Chicago should take note.  Rahm's betting on traffic violation revenue to balance his budget.

IMO, that's a bad bet.

Oh, but the cameras were about safety, not money...lol

cpzilliacus

Quote from: 1995hoo on October 01, 2014, 09:02:01 AM
Edited to add: This map shows where I-695 would have run. The assembly discussed above is off the map at the top left. It's just as well this road was never built. The impact on the Mall, West Potomac Park, and Tidal Basin areas would have been considerable, and for the most part the existing Independence Avenue does well enough at handling the traffic. Of course it sometimes gets overburdened, especially in March/April around cherry blossom time, but it's not enough of a problem to warrant an Interstate highway there. It probably would have been a substandard highway by today's standards, too.


As a road that had anything at-grade or above-grade, it would have been totally unacceptable because of the impacts on the cherry trees, the Tidal Basin and the historic Kutz Bridge.

As a bored tunnel (which may not have been workable when this was planned), it would have eliminated most or all of those impacts - but might also have been a problem with a giant force sewer main that runs from a pumping station under the D.C. end of the T. Roosevelt Bridge parallel to the D.C. Potomac River waterfront to the Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant.
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.

NE2

It would also be pretty damn redundant, with SR 110 across the river providing the same movements with only a slightly longer distance.
pre-1945 Florida route log

I accept and respect your identity as long as it's not dumb shit like "identifying as a vaccinated attack helicopter".

1995hoo

#324
Quote from: NE2 on October 01, 2014, 11:49:54 PM
It would also be pretty damn redundant, with SR 110 across the river providing the same movements with only a slightly longer distance.

Route 110 actually doesn't really do a good job of providing the same movements if you're already in the District. It's not obvious from a map because maps don't show the reversible roads and blocked-off lanes that pose an issue at rush hour. For example, as I noted earlier, during the afternoon rush hour there's no particularly good way from the Watergate/GWU area to Route 110 and I-395 because Rock Creek Parkway is one-way outbound and I-66 in DC provides no easy connection to Memorial Bridge. So you either use 23 Street (a slow process, lots of lights and jaywalkers), the Whitehurst and Key Bridge (slow through the light on M Street), or the Roosevelt Bridge and then exit and turn around somewhere (also can be very slow due to people who must exit I-66 due to the HOV rules). You'd have to do any of that just to get to Route 110 in the first place.

You cannot go from the Watergate/GWU area to Southwest (Tidal Basin, Maine Avenue, Nationals Park area) during the afternoon rush hour without either going through the streets at least to 17 Street or entering Virginia.

As I said before, none of this justified building a highway through that area of DC. The damage it would have caused would have been unforgivable. But Route 110 isn't really a substitute for it. It'd be nice if there were some way to modify the traffic pattern a little so that southbound (westbound?) traffic on DC's stub of I-66 in the afternoon weren't forced either to use outbound Rock Creek Parkway or make a U-turn. But it's a complicated little area, compounded by National Park Service jurisdiction and the nearby historic sites (Lincoln Memorial, Memorial Bridge, etc.).
"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.



Opinions expressed here on belong solely to the poster and do not represent or reflect the opinions or beliefs of AARoads, its creators and/or associates.