15th Street Southbound Bike Lane Installation Starts MONDAY
Starting Monday, Oct. 26, DDOT will install the south-bound bicycle lane on the west side of 15th Street NW between U Street and Massachusetts Avenue. It will be between the sidewalk-curb and parked cars. (Image: DDOT courtesy of TheWashCycle.com Web site.)
We were just talking about this… we had been wondering if/when the city was going to install the south-bound bicycle lane on the west side of 15th Street NW (which is one-way north-bound). This morning there was a message in the Logan Circle News group on Yahoo! Groups (below).
DC Department of Transportation (DDoT) will begin work on the bike lane–which will run from U Street to Massachusetts Avenue NW–this MONDAY, October 26, and be completed the following Monday. DDoT is distributing a flyer to 15th Street residents today.
About the Bike Lanes
- The south-bound bike lane on the west side of 15th will be next to the curb-sidewalk.
- Parking will still be allowed on the west side of 15th, but you will park between the south-bound bike lane and the north-bound traffic lanes.
- A north-bound bike lane will also be installed on the east side of 15th Street–but the lane will be between parked cars and north-bound traffic, the more traditional type of bike lane.
- There will still be three north-bound traffic lanes when all work is completed.
For those of you not in-the-know, there was discussion (a lot of it) on whether to turn 15th Street north of Massachusetts Avenue into a two-way street (I personally would have preferred it, many neighbors did not and opinions varied). DDoT kicked around several different configurations for 15th Street and finally decided to implement Alternative 5.
Previous Postings
From DDoT:
October 22, 2009
Installation of South-Bound Bicycle Lane on 15th Street NW between Massachusetts Avenue NW and U Street NW
Dear Resident:
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will start the installation of a protected south-bound bicycle lane on 15th Street NW between Massachusetts Avenue NW and U Street NW between Monday, October 26 and Monday, November 2, weather permitting. Work is expected to last approximately 5 days. The contractor will work during the hours of 7:00 am and 7:00pm. During the work, parking on the west side will be restricted and will be released as work on each section is completed. Before the work begins, DDOT will be conducting bicycle counts to evaluate the effectiveness of the bike lane using a before/after study.
The decision for this protected bicycle lane was the result of the 15th Street NW Reconfiguration Alternatives Analysis (www.ddot.dc.gov). DDOT studied this corridor because of resident concerns of safety and speeding and analyzed 4 alternatives. Because of lack of clear consensus, Alternative 5, a hybrid alternative, was developed to address the issues raised (attached).
Thank you for your patience and understanding as we proceed with the rehabilitation of the roadway. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mr. James Cheeks at [email protected]. Also, if you have any comments on the functioning of the bicycle lane once implemented, please contact me at [email protected].
Sincerely, Christopher Ziemann, Ward 2 Transportation Planner, District Department of Transportation / desk (202) 671-2555
