DRIVERS WHO CROSS the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge regularly know that there's a movable concrete barrier that changes position depending on the inbound or outbound flow of traffic. Now, the District has a new stretch of highway that uses a similar system: The Kenilworth Avenue section of DC-295 in Northeast.
The limited-access highway is undergoing major reconstruction that will last into 2009, and the D.C. Department of Transportation has installed the movable barrier to better accommodate rush-hour traffic. From DDOT's announcement:
The intent of the system is to continue to maintain three lanes of traffic in the rush hour direction and two lanes in the opposite direction. In other words, there are three lanes southbound open in the morning inbound rush hour. Then the lanes are shifted mid-day to to accommodate three lanes open in the afternoon outbound rush hour. Specific time[s] for the traffic switch are mid-day, between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The lanes are then switched back after 7 p.m. each evening.The project involves the reconstruction of the roadway itself and several bridges. When completed, the movable barrier will be removed, according to DDOT.
File photo of the Roosevelt Bridge movable barrier vehicle by John Kelly/The Washington Post
METRO WILL CLOSE the Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton Metrorail stations in Maryland over the upcoming holiday weekend for "a major track rehabilitation project," the transit agency announced today.
From a Metro statement:
Metro will replace the rail switch outside the Cheverly Metrorail station on the Orange Line from 10 p.m., Friday, August 31 to 11:59 p.m., Monday, September 3 (Labor Day). A rail switch or "interlocking" is an intersection in the track, where trains "switch" from one track to another. This work must be done to ensure service quality and safe operation through the Cheverly Metrorail station.Shuttle buses will run every eight to 10 minutes from the Deanwood station, where the Orange Line will terminate, to New Carrollton, with stops at Cheverly and Landover, Metro says.
Metro service will run on its regular weekend schedule on Saturday and Sunday, and on a Sunday schedule for Monday's Labor Day holiday.
» "Cheverly, Landover and New Carrollton Metro Stations to Close This Weekend for Track Work" [WMATA]
IS IT HIP to be square? Metro will be introducing a new element to its stations, known for their concrete vaults, seemingly floating mezzanines and hexagonal terra cotta floor tiles: The square. During the transit agency's regular board meeeting, members approved new 12-inch square warm-reddish brown porcelain tile for use in a handful of stations. But it's not for looks.
From a Metro release:
After receiving input from the Riders Advisory Council and the Elderly and Disabled Committee, it was decided the new square porcelain tile was the most economical configuration as the tiles will prove to be more durable and will decrease future maintenance costs.But don't expect the new tiles, which have been used in the New York City subway, to roll out systemwide anytime soon.
The tile replacement will start at the Deanwood and Minnesota Avenue stations on the Orange Line and then move to other stations as Metro deems platform fixes necessary. New stations will also use the new tile.
IN A REGION that boasts a state, a district and a commonwealth, residents aren't totally unacquainted with the concept that people cross jurisdictional boundaries on a regular basis. And local candidates' campaign materials have followed their constituents across these boundaries. In Upper Northwest D.C., for instance, before Democrat Chris Van Hollen beat longtime Republican Connie Morella to represent Montgomery County in the U.S. House, it wasn't uncommon to see Democrats for Morella signs inside the District line. Similarly, as of two weeks ago, we saw a Harris Miller for Senate sign on the D.C. side of Chain Bridge. Miller, you might remember, was the Northern Virginia telecommunications lobbyist who lost to Jim Webb in Virginia's Democratic primary for Senate earlier this year.
And so from blogger Silver Spring Singular, we learn that D.C. Council Chairman Linda Cropp has staked out Sligo Creek Parkway in Maryland. Certainly a pretty piece of green space. Whether it'll pick up any D.C. votes, that's hard to tell.
» "Silver Spring News 'N Notes" [SSS]
» ANACOSTIA: Believe your eyes. It's a sign advertising a sit-down restaurant coming to the heart of Anacostia at Good Hope Road and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. Blogger Beyond the Mall is ecstatic:
Yes, Virginia, there is a sit down restaurant in Ward 8! Or there will be. And it’s about time, too!Here is the restaurant's Web site, with groovy music. [Beyond the Mall]
» DEANWOOD: Neighbors don't like that a vacant diner was moved to a plot of land in the 4900 block of Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue in Ward 7. With all the other trouble in the neighborhood, it's just another eyesore for neighbors, the City Paper's City Desk blog reports. Its owners say they're planning to transform it into Fatdog's Hot Dog Bistro. Who'd ever think there'd be Belgian fries in Ward 7? [City Desk/City Paper]
» WOODLEY PARK: The Marriott Wardman Park hotel has requested a permit for a $1.2 million renovation of a restaurant on its campus, parts of which are currently under construction. [WaPo]
With contributions from Donn M. Fresard.
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