DDOT’s Bicycle Lane program has built 94 miles of bike lanes in the District since 2001. In December 2021 DDOT announced that after having assessed the multimodal (vehicular, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian) operational and safety impacts associated with removing or maintaining/improving the existing reversible lane system and improving multimodal accessibility, it has endorsed a proposal to add Protected Bicycle Lanes (PBLs) to Connecticut Avenue. The project area is 2.7 miles long with the primary area from Connecticut Avenue at Legation Street NW to Calvert Street NW.
Rush hour reversible lanes for automobiles will be eliminated and parking spaces will be removed or relocated as part of the project.
The changes are designed to increase safety and convenience for bicycle commuters as well as reduce the number of automobiles using Connecticut Avenue as a speedway in the morning and afternoon rush hours, thus reducing both accidents and auto emissions.
The changes are expected to result in approx. 3,000 daily users of the protected bicycle lanes. In anticipation of greatly increased bicycle usage during the rush hour, DDOT has an additional, innovative proposal under review: to create RRHBLs (Reversible Rush Hour Bicycle Lanes) to operate in the AM and PM rush hours on Connecticut Avenue.
The hours of operation would be as follows:
During the morning rush hour from 7:00 AM - 9:30 AM, the PBLs on BOTH sides of Connecticut Avenue would be southbound ONLY.
During the evening rush hour from 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM, the PBLs on BOTH sides of Connecticut Avenue would be northbound ONLY. .
Detour signage will be set up at 6:45 AM at the southern end of the PBL, directing any northbound bicyclists to an alternative two-way bicycle route to be set up on parallel side streets.
Detour signage will be set up at 4:45 PM at the northern end of the PBL, directing any southbound bicyclists to an alternative two-way bicycle route to be set up on parallel side streets.
MPD officers formerly deployed in monitoring the transition in the morning and evening rush hours by checking signage and watching for violators in automobiles will assume those tasks for the RRHBLs -- thus ensuring that trained officers can remain on the force using familiar skills. In addition, the large electronic signs that previously functioned to warn drivers of the changed reversible driving lanes can be effectively repurposed to alert bicyclists of the direction of the PBLs during rush hours.
DDOT welcomes public comment on the RRHBL proposal during the comment period from 9 AM to 5 PM ONLY on April 1, 2022.
To leave a comment on the RRHBL proposal on the DDOT website go to: https://bit.ly/commentRRHBLApr1
To comment by email, reply to DCGovtAnnouncement@fastmail.net
Please visit the updated project website at https://bit.ly/3749mal
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