JMT's 11th Street Project Helps DC Earn Walk Friendly Designation

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September 12, 2012Location: Washington, D.C.

Washington DC has been designated as a Gold Level Walk Friendly Community by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC).   DC is one of nine cities recognized as Walk Friendly Communities by the PBIC for commitment to improving walkability and pedestrian safety, and more impressively DC was the only city to receive the Gold Level status.

The District of Columbia was selected for this prestigious status based on its high transit and walking mode share and exceptional planning and engineering. The PBIC also recognized DC's strong commitment to walkability based on the level of staffing and public input for pedestrian issues.

The PBIC also singled out a few model programs and projects, including the 11th Street Bridge project.  JMT is the lead designer for the Design-Build team, which is the largest construction project in DDOT history.  The project involves replacing two bridges with three new bridges and two complex interchanges.  JMT is also responsible for all pedestrian/bicyclist enhancements and landscape design for this project as well as Visual Quality elements and ADA compliance.  The 11th Street project provides for enhanced local pedestrian/bicycle connections by separating freeway and local traffic on to separate bridges crossing the Anacostia River. The new 11th Street Bridge reconnects the Anacostia and Capitol Hill neighborhoods by providing a two-way local street with a multi-use trail that affords views of the Anacostia River on expanded overlooks placed on top of the piers from the existing 11th Street Bridge. The new bridge also provides for a future streetcar service making a connection across the river.

The entire project is expected to open by the summer of 2015 and will include lanes for local and through traffic, a shared pedestrian/bicycle pathway, and space for future transit considerations.