DDOT issues their latest update on the progress of the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets Project last week and I am posting it below as an FYI. The majority of the project seems to be focused at in the Park View section at this time with a major focus being between Princeton and Otis Places.
Middle Georgia Avenue Great Street work at Otis Place and Georgia Avenue, NW
Below is DDOT’s announcement:
MiddleGeorgia Avenue Great Streets Project
Otis Place to Webster Street, NW
Monthly Project Update, August 2011
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES:
Work will continue along Georgia Avenue between Otis Place and Princeton Place, NW. The DDOT team will be installing concrete base, new sidewalk, pavers and completing the bump-out. Installation of new street lights will continue from Quebec Place to Otis Place, NW .
We are pleased to report that the project remains on schedule. This month we will also break down the existing staging area located at Taylor Avenue and 9th Street, NW.
ANTICIPATED TEMPORARY TRAFFIC IMPACTS:
Various Locations:
Construction tasks will require temporary, daytime parking lane closures on Georgia Avenue between Princeton Place and Newton Place from 7:00am-5:00pm, and temporary travel lane closures, 9:30am-3:30pm.
Pedestrian traffic will be re-directed with detours along sidewalks where excavation is occurring. Access to businesses and residences will continue to be maintained.
Paving/Resurfacing will take place in the evening hours.
NEW, PERMANENT TRAFFIC AND PARKING IMPROVEMENTS:
9th Street from Upshur to Kansas: Parking may change from parallel to diagonal parking on the East side of 9th Street. The travel lane will remain one-way northbound.
9th Street from Taylor to Upshur: Parking has changed from parallel to diagonal parking on the West side of 9th Street. Travel lanes will change from (2), two-way travel lanes, to (1) travel lane, one-way southbound. (more…)
The Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project in front of Looking Glass and Blue Banana
Work on the middle Georgia Avenue Greatstreets project is now focusing on the west side of Georgia between Princeton Place and Otis Place. The area with the most activity seems to be in front of Looking Glass, Blue Banana, and other businesses located in that stretch. Besides the new curbs and gutters (easily seen above), new concrete pads are being installed for the new streetlights that will be installed.
Work across the street on the east side of Georgia is also continuing. One thing I really like is the bumped out cross walk areas. The one below is on the east side of the street across from the intersection with Otis. People unfamiliar with Park View’s cross streets may not realize than most of them are not in alignment as they cross Georgia. This actually provides an opportunity for DDOT to reclaim more of the street as they bump out the crosswalks which is what is shown in the photo below. I hope that we can get a nice public bench or other amenity with the extra public space created at this location.
View of the east side of Georgia looking north from Otis Place. DDOT has narrowed the street for the crosswalks.
Thanks to all that alerted me to this. I really have to give DDOT props on this one. Less than a week after I called the project manager of the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project, the missing fire call box harp at Princeton Place and Georgia Avenue was reinstalled.
While the location isn’t exactly where it once was, I think just getting it back was a huge accomplishment. With the return of this harp, the Park View area continues to have three of the original twelve fire call boxes that once served the community.
I think just getting the harp back is not enough, though. The next step needs to be to make it an attractive and valuable asset. One way to do that would be to have it serve as a historical marker as many other harps in DC do.
What better way to end the week than to show an update of The Avenue (Park Morton I). You can see what it looked like at the end of June here. I’ve also recently learned that the builders intend to include some sort of green roof on the building, but just how much is still unknown to me.
Below is a shot of the foundation work taken earlier this week.
View of the northeast corner of Princeton and Georgia, looking east-southeast from Georgia.
As I was reviewing the new sidewalk areas along Georgia Avenue yesterday, I noted that the northeast corner of Princeton Place and Georgia appears to be finished … with a significant exception — the old fire alarm call box harp that once graced this corner has not been reinstalled. When I first noticed that it had been removed in November 2010, I contacted DDOT which confirmed that they had removed it due to the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project. At that time I asked if it would be returned and after a short conversation thought that DDOT had agreed to reinstall it.
At present, that clearly has not happened. I’m surely feisty enough to take this on and fight to get the harp returned to its rightful place. The chief benefit would be that the community could use it to display art as much of the rest of the city has done. My only remaining question is should I.
So, I’m throwing the question out to you. Would you like to see the call box harp returned and used to help beautify the community?
Pedestal and harp once located at Princeton and Georgia Avenue
New pavers located at Rock Creek Church Road and Georgia Avenue
Work on the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project is making a noticeable impact in northern Park View of late. The corners on the east side of Georgia Avenue at Rock Creek Church Road, Quebec Place, and Princeton Place are now finished with new pavers installed rather than concrete. While I would have preferred a red brick instead of the dull gray pavers, it’s still a nice upgrade from the concrete. Red pavers are installed along the curbing between intersections.
The intersection of Princeton Place and Georgia is getting several bump outs, presumably making the intersection safer for pedestrians.
The intersection of Princeton Place is also notable since bump outs on the east side have been installed. I presume this is to help make the crosswalks safer. A bump out is also planned for the southwest corner, but it doesn’t appear that one will be installed at the CVS corner.
Work is now also progressing down to Otis Place, with granite curbing installed along the eastern side of Georgia. While the western side of the Avenue is moving at a slower pace, it doesn’t look like it is all that much behind and will also be getting the new curbing and sidewalks. Still to come between Princeton and Otis Places are the new street lamps that have already been installed north of Princeton. Based on some of the trench work recently completed the wiring to support the new locations of the street lamps has already commenced.
According to DDOT, new traffic lights are planned for Georgia Avenue in the areas of Taylor Street and Otis Place. The one planned for the Otis area will help calm traffic for both the E.L. Haynes Public Charter School and the Ward One Senior Wellness Center. The Otis Place light was in the final phase of procurement for installation around May 25th and lights generally take about 45 days to schedule and install. However, with the need to coordinate with the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project this one may take a little longer than the typical 45 days.
According to DDOT a new traffic light is in the planning stages for this section of Georgia Avenue
Sidewalk work on the southeast corner of Georgia and Rock Creek Church Road
Great Streets work is progressing nicely on the area between Rock Creek Church Road and Princeton Place. The block north of Quebec is in the process of getting new sidewalks and the Metro Bus pad has been replaced.
While the corner areas look like they are going to get some brickwork (which will really enhance the beauty of the area), one thing I noticed that might not be readily apparent is that it looks like DDOT raised the level of the sidewalk between Quebec and Rock Creek Church Rd. If so, that alone is a huge improvement. As any pedestrian that may have been caught in the rain can tell you, this block had a tendency to flood with water coming all the way up to business entrances.
Below is a general concept plan for this stretch of the project.
As you can see below, the Middle Georgia Avenue Great Streets project is finally installing new granite curbs on the east side of the 3650 b/o Georgia Avenue. This is across from the CVS. Since the project started at the northern end (Webster), it has taken a while for any significant construction to occur in Park View. Yet, we’ve already had new storm sewers and some street lights installed.
From left to right, the names on the east side are for (Zachary) Taylor (Mexican War), (Nathaniel) Greene (Revoluti… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…3 days ago
From left to right, the names on the west side are for (U.S.) Grant (Civil War), (Andrew) Jackson (War of 1812), (G… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…3 days ago
It was built from architectural components of local landmarks, likely from the U.S. Patent Office building, that Mo… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…3 days ago
Kent Boese, "'Houses with Novel Points': Kennedy Brothers, Princeton Heights, and the Making of Northern Park View," Paper presented at the 36th Annual Conference on Washington, DC Historical Studies (2009).
Michael Schaffer, "Post-Mortem," Washington City Paper 18, no. 9 (1998).
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"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
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"The territory comprising Park View extends from Gresham Street north to Rock Creek Church Road, and from Georgia Avenue to the Soldiers' Home grounds, including the triangle bounded by Park Road, Georgia Avenue, and New Hampshire Avenue" (from Directory and History of Park View, 1921.)
Park View, D.C. 