Plans for a revamped Douglas Street bridge move forward
A rendering of the Douglas Street pedestrian bridge from project site. Image by DDOT.
The replacement of a bridge connecting pedestrians to several neighborhoods in Ward 7 is moving forward as the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans to hold a public meeting on the project.
The Douglas Street Pedestrian Bridge Project will not only increase the vertical clearance over Kenilworth Avenue (DC 295) and enhance the bridge’s structural integrity, but will also provide several other improvements including:
- Creating wider bridge and ADA compliant access ramps
- Increasing lighting on the bridge and ramp, and
- Updating stormwater management
The bridge serves as an access point for neighborhoods including Eastland Gardens, Kenilworth, Mayfair, and Parkside as well as residents in Deanwood and along Minnesota Avenue. Construction began Dec. 15 and is expected to continue for two months, according to a DDOT press release.
The Douglas Street bridge project follows the collapse of a similar bridge over DC 295, at Lane Place, after a truck driver crashed into it in June last year. The Lane Place bridge is in the design phase and moving at an accelerated schedule according to the project site. A public meeting was held last month.
In total, four vehicle and pedestrian bridges in DC are in the process of being replaced after each receiving a four (out of nine) rating during inspections, according to reporting from the Post.
The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge opened for multimodal use in September, replacing the 70-year-old crossing. Demolition of the old bridge and the rebuilding of the Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange is not expected to be completed until this spring.
The Parkside pedestrian bridge opened in late October. The revamped bridge has ADA-compliant ramps, new sidewalks, curbs and gutters, as well as enhanced street and pedestrian lighting.
A public meeting for the Douglas Street Bridge project is set for 6:30 pm on Monday, Jan. 24.