At the ANC’s April 11 meeting, we learned that the project to create a safer intersection at 37th and Tunlaw is being held up by process issues related to the contract, but will go forward when those issues are resolved. This is a delay of weeks, not months – DDOT still expects to complete construction by June 1. Once there is a start-date, residents will be informed about detours and timing. Per previous news, we expect northbound traffic on 37th St. to be detoured for a two-week period. The good news is that DDOT and WMATA have apparently worked out a plan to avoid having to detour the D1 and D2 buses.
One concern raised at the April meeting was whether it will difficult for cars coming down the one-way part of 37th street to get through the intersection without stop signs on Tunlaw, which are not in the plan; the counter to this concern, raised by another attendees, was was the plan was designed to make sure cars don’t use 37th street to cut through the neighborhood, so it shouldn’t be too easy to get through. Our expectation is that once the new intersection is operational, DDOT will assess the traffic flow and adjust signage as needed.
Meanwhile, Councilmember Cheh (Ward 3) has scheduled a roundtable for May 1 to hear from people about the Wisconsin Avenue streetscape project. In the interim, DDOT has made other changes to reduce traffic – restricting parking north of Calvert St. on Wisconsin and adding a right-turn lane in front of Whole Foods. At the May 1, meeting, DDOT will present results of its traffic and timing counts and assess whether or not the few adjustments it has made recently have helped prevent traffic backups.