I went to a meeting that included the project lead of both the DC and Maryland portions of the Metropolitan Branch Trail and the news was somewhat better than what I last heard.
1. The District ixnayed the parking lot that was planned for the lot north of the new Pepco facility. Instead the street grid will be continued (R St. Randolph Pl., and S St. extended) and three small office buildings built on the squares this creates. The district would have liked to have purchased this whole lot, but once the metro station was built, the cost (~$15 million) became prohibitive. The District instead bought, for ~$1.5 million, the strip that they need. I've heard that the reason the land deal wasn't done sooner, when the land was cheaper, was that most of the lawyers were busy acquiring the baseball stadium site.
2. The trail, for now, will still feature the dreaded Z curve, but the District is negotiating to buy some land from Pepco to straighten it out a bit. Unfortunately, the trail will pass west of the new buildings mentioned above, instead of to the east. This means there will be three additional grade crossings, instead of passing between the new buildings and the existing tracks. Negotiating a land swap with the property owner could delay the process by a year. (I find that hard to believe - since it's in everyone's interest - and feel like it would be worth it anyway. Like the old saying, "If you don't have time to do it right, then you don't have time to do it twice."
3. DDOT wants to do a design-build contract, which would speed up the process. After the trail from under NY Ave to 8th St NE is completed, it should only take about 6 months to finish the bridge to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro Station.
4. In Takoma, the district is working with developers to make Spring Place NW into a "Dutch Style" pedestrian mall and to increase the width of sidewalks on Ceder St. NW.
5. The new fence I wondered about earlier in the summer is not a complete fence (to screen views) but more like a railing to keep cyclists from falling into the street. I can live with that.
Did the Md people have anything to say about the city of Takoma Park narrowing the path?
Posted by: Ken | September 05, 2006 at 09:01 PM
No, where is that happening?
Posted by: washcycle | September 05, 2006 at 09:21 PM
I'm still unclear as to whether any part of this trail is currently open--is it?
Posted by: marc | September 06, 2006 at 07:26 AM
Yes. Three sections.
1. Bike lanes on 1st St NE between Mass Ave and K St.
2. A sidepath beside John McCormack Road NE (Catholic U area) between Michigan Avenue and Bates Road. Though part of this has been closed for work on the Taylor Street Bridge.
3. A sidepath beside Fenton Street in Maryland from Chicago Avenue to the District-Maryland line (where it suddenly ends mid block)
Posted by: washcycle | September 06, 2006 at 09:38 AM