Brookland Hardware on 12th Street, with power lines visible in front. Photo by Mr. T in DC on Flickr.

Neighbors in Brookland, divided over development around their Metro station, are united on the latest issue in the neighborhood: underground power lines.

Unlike in the L’Enfant City, where all power lines are underground, Brookland’s electricity is carried overhead. DDOT is preparing a streetscape redesign on the commercial 12th and Monroe Streets. In planning meetings, neighbors and the ANC emphasized that their top priority is to bury the lines, even if it means losing some of the nice streetscape elements like brick gutters or fancier sidewalks.

Unfortunately, Brooklanders are caught in something of a bureaucratic finger-pointing circle. DDOT isn’t responsible for power lines, and doesn’t habitually bury them in streetscape projects. But they’re tearing up the streets, and it’s cheaper to put the lines underground while a streetscape is underway. Even so, it’ll cost a couple million dollars.

Last year, there was some doubt whether DDOT had enough money for the streetscape project, leading Jim Graham to earmark an extra $2 million in case the project ran over. DDOT claims it won’t be necessary, leading neighbors to ask why the money can’t go to the power lines. But since it’s specifically allocated for the streetscape, that’s not possible without Council action. The regular streetscape money is federal, and officials disagree about whether they can legally use that money to bury the lines.

If the federal money can go partly toward the power lines, DDOT could cut some other pieces of the project. That would mean going against their standards, but with the right pressure from Mayor Fenty and/or Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr., it may be possible.

Or it may be too late. DDOT has already reached the official construction stage, which could mean schedule commitments to contractors that interfere with adding or deleting elements. Perhaps, as sometimes happens, DDOT ignored community wishes long enough to make it a moot point. Or perhaps the community didn’t speak clearly enough. I don’t know the detailed backstory.

Will Brookland get what they want? Stay tuned for the next exciting episode of Community Versus Bureaucracy.

Update: Richard Layman has more.