Demolition on DC's Southeast Freeway to Limit Travel

Part of the Southeast Freeway in D.C. will be off limits this weekend. Click to enlarge. (Photo courtesy of DDOT)

Adam Tuss, wtop.com

WASHINGTON -- Drivers along the Southeast Freeway in D.C. may have noticed some confusing signs recently about a closure scheduled for this weekend.

While the entire southeast portion of the freeway will not be shut down Jan. 9 and Jan. 10, part of it will be off limits to cars and trucks.

The D.C. Department of Transportation is demolishing a couple of ramps that lead to RFK Stadium, and because of that, the Southeast freeway -- as you head toward RFK stadium -- will be closed after the exit for I-295.

"What that means for motorists is that they will have to stay to the right and take the I-295 exit for the 11th Street Bridges, or exit earlier," says DDOT spokesperson John Lisle.

He advises that a good alternate route to get across the Anacostia River would be the South Capitol Street Bridge.

So why close an entire section of the freeway?

"They are going be tearing down concrete and we want to make sure that there aren't any vehicles underneath. So, just as a precautionary measure, we need to close down that portion of the freeway which is past the exit for I-295 and the 11th street bridges," Lisle says.

The work is scheduled between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. on Saturday. If crews have not finished the work on Saturday, they will be back on Sunday.

DDOT recommends the following detour and alternate routes:

To reach Pennsylvania Avenue:

• Take the Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue exit
  
• Turn left on Good Hope Road, SE
  
• Turn left on Minnesota Avenue, SE
  
• Detour Ends - Turn either right or left on Pennsylvania Avenue, SE

Motorists can avoid the detour by taking these alternate routes:

• From the SW Freeway, take the South Capitol Street exit
  
• Cross the South Capitol Street (Frederick Douglas) Bridge
  
• Take the Suitland Parkway Exit
  
• Take the ramp for I-295 North

(Copyright 2009 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)

www.AnacostiaRiverRealty.com

New DC 5 cent Bag Tax To Clean the Anacostia River Begins

By BETH PARKER/myfoxdc

D.C. residents are getting creative about how they transport their groceries. The D.C. bag fee took effect January 1.

Bring your own reusable bags to a store and you'll pay no additional fees. But paper and plastic bags will cost a customer five cents each. Some of the money goes to the retailer. Most will be spent cleaning up the Anacostia River.

It doesn't just apply to grocery stores. It's any business that sells food or alcohol.

The D.C. bag law can be complicated, especially when it comes to restaurants. Here's how it works. If a restaurant has what is called a "deli license" and has no seating, customers must pay whether they leave with a paper or plastic bag. But if you leave a sit-down restaurant with take-out or a doggie bag and it's in a paper bag, you're exempt. You don't have to pay the extra five cents. If you leave with a plastic bag, you have to pay.

D.C. says there is a bottom line. Bring your bags.

Maryland Delegate Al Carr and Virginia Delegate Adam Ebbin now say they will soon introduce bills that mirror the D.C. law.

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY: The east of the Anacostia River experts. http://www.anacostiariverrealty.com/

11th Street Bridge Project Construction to Begin

On or about Tuesday, Dec. 29, contractors will begin 11th Street Bridge Project construction activities,

which may be noticeable to area residents and businesses but ultimately result in a number of important

benefits.

Initial work will include pile driving in the Anacostia River to construct foundations for three new bridges –

one for local and two for freeway traffic. Barrier placement, off-roadway clearing and drainage work also is

to begin adjacent to both directions of DC 295, later resulting in shoulder encroachments and minor lane

shifts. Eventually, land-side pile driving on both sides of the river will be required to construct new

connecting ramps and improve the highway. To minimize impacts, noise and vibration levels will be

monitored at all times.

The new bridges will be constructed between the existing bridges, which are projected to serve almost

180,000 vehicles per day by 2030, allowing contractors to maintain all existing travel movements and 12-

foot travel lanes except during approved work in off-peak travel hours.

In addition, contractors will practice good neighbor construction by establishing designated haul routes,

having most materials delivered via the river or highway, controlling dust, and requiring that workers not

park on neighborhood streets.

Scheduled for completion in mid-2013, the $300 million project will:

· Improve mobility by providing separate freeway and local traffic connections to both directions of

DC 295, the Southeast-Southwest Expressway and local streets on both sides of the Anacostia River.

· Provide a shared path for pedestrians and bicycles, as well as rails to allow future streetcar

connections

· Replace the existing functionally deficient and structurally obsolete bridges

· Provide an additional alternate evacuation route from our Nation’s capital, and

· Include new trail connections, improved drainage and other environmental investments

The 11th Street Bridge Project and District Department of Transportation regret any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding during construction.

For more information, please call Public Information Manager Bryon Johnston at 202-484-2330 ext 137 or email ddotpublicaffairs@dc.gov.

ANACOSTIA RIVER REALTY: The East of the River Experts.