Penna Avenue Paving and the Cycletrack.

[Dirt]

***TRAFFIC ADVISORY***
DDOT to Repave Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Overnight Work Scheduled to Begin This Week

WASHINGTON, DC – The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is scheduled to repave Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, between 3rd and 14th Streets, beginning tonight, weather permitting. Crews will mill and pave 2 lanes at a time, starting with the right lanes of eastbound Pennsylvania Avenue.
The work will be conducted overnight, between 8 pm and 5 am, Monday through Saturday, and is anticipated to take approximately 10 days to complete. At least one lane in each direction will be open for traffic at all times, but motorists are advised that delays are possible.
The project will also impact the bicycle lanes down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue. The bike lanes will be unavailable when the center of the roadway is repaved and bicyclists will need to share the travel lanes with motor vehicles. Drivers are urged to use caution and watch for additional cyclists in traffic.
The bicycle lanes will be re-striped once the roadway is repaved. However, please note that the plastic bollards at intersections along the bike lanes will not be reinstalled until after the Presidential Inauguration in January.


Love,

Dirt

[Greenbelt]

Maybe when they rebuild the road, they can add some mini curbing to further protect the bike lanes from illegal U-turners.

[DaveK]

I don't understand one thing... so the Committee on Fine Arts or whatever pitches a fit because they don't want any colored pavement (or even yellow centerlines) on Penn Ave. Every four years the road is repaved for the inauguration. Why not repave the road, re-mark everything, Barack the house in January, and immediately following his motorcade have a big-ass green paint roller behind them? Then the inaugural parade isn't ruined and by some nefarious green bike lane, America is saved, and those of us who live and work in this city are a little safer for the next 3.99 years until they mill it up and pave it again for the next guy. Or gal.

I know, I'm a genius. Feel free to send checks.

[TwoWheelsDC]

the Committee on Fine Arts or whatever pitches a fit

What's most galling is that the CFA, to my knowledge, has zero authority over what DDOT does on Penn or any other street. To me, that says DDOT simply doesn't have the will to put the paint down, even though there's nothing keeping them from doing it.

[Greenbelt]

They seriously need to put up some cones, at least at the intersections, during construction.

Cars were all over the road last night, including in the erstwhile bike lanes and pedestrian median haven areas.

[Dirt]

You big wimp! It's the Wild Wild West out here! YEEEEHAWWWWWW!


Totally joking, of course. Be safe out there. People have NO CLUE how to behave... cyclists, pedestrians and drivers included. That generally means we all are reduced to semi-domesticated baboons when it comes to interacting with others.

From what I've read, the lines will be back fairly soon, but the bollards (and possibly some kind of barriers) will not be back until spring time.

Hugs and kisses,

Dirt

[jrenaut]

I hope it comes back soon. I've been messing around with alternate routes to work, and the only one I have right now that doesn't take me through some construction war zone is through Rock Creek Park, and I don't always have the time to triple my commute.

[DSalovesh]

CFA has oversight, and makes non-binding recommendations. If those recommendations are not followed, they can make further recommendations to Congress about funding and legislation for those and other projects. DC will bill about $1M to the Joint Congressional Presidential Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies just for the repaving, and a pissed-off CFA could block the payback.

[DaveK]

For now you can always detour to E Street to get across town, it's a good (not great) alternative with bike lanes and not a ton of traffic.

[mstone]

Can CFA be billed for medical expenses?