H Street N.E. Construction Shifts to South Side
From 3rd Street to 7th Street
New Traffic Pattern Takes Effect Friday, June 11
North Curb Lane Re-Opens for Parking in the 500 & 600 Blocks
As part of the H Street N.E. Reconstruction Project, the District Department of Transportation will implement a new traffic pattern by the end of the day, Friday, June 11, in preparation for shifting the construction work to the two south roadway lanes from 3rd Street to 7th Street.
The shift marks a milestone toward completion of the project. From 3rd Street to 7th Street, the work is substantially complete in the north curb lane, the north shared transit lane, and the north and south center lanes. (The shared transit lane includes the streetcar tracks and will be used by streetcars, buses, cars, and other motor vehicles.)
The total project – from 3rd Street to an end point just east of 14th Street – is approximately 60% complete. The target date for substantial completion of the entire project is June 2011.
In the new traffic pattern to be put in place on Friday, eastbound traffic will be guided by signs, lights, and other directional devices at 3rd Street into a single eastbound lane in the center portion of the roadway. Westbound traffic will be guided by similar mechanisms at 7th Street into two westbound lanes from 7th to 3rd Street.
Just to the west of the 6th Street intersection, the north curb lane will be marked to permit parking. A two-hour parking limit will be in place to assure turnover of the spaces within a reasonable time for customers of H Street businesses. The 300 and 400 blocks were re-opened for north curb lane parking in mid-March of this year. Implementation of the new traffic pattern on Saturday adds the 500 block and most of the 600 block to make a total of almost four blocks in which north curb lane parking has been restored.
In the south curb lane and shared traffic lane, work will begin at 3rd Street and move steadily eastward to 7th Street. The work includes the excavation and reconstruction of the existing roadway, the installation of streetcar tracks, and installation of new streetlight poles, sidewalks, and sidewalk amenities.
The south side work from 3rd to 7th Street is expected to take approximately 90 days to complete.
The work is part of DDOT’s H Street Reconstruction Project. More information about the project is available on the DDOT website, http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/ under the Ward 6 portion of the “Projects and Planning” section.
