J une 19, 2014

TO: Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park Communities & First Street Tunnel Stakeholders

RE: Community Concerns Regarding the First Street Tunnel Project

Dear Community Members/Residents:
The purpose of this letter is to provide an update on DC Waters continuing efforts to minimize the
construction impact of the First Street Tunnel Project on your community. While this project is critical to
address the flooding that has historically plagued Bloomingdale and LeDroit Park, we know that the
construction will be in close proximity to many homes and will pose unique challenges for the people who
live there.
At our most recent meeting on May 29, 2014, the community raised several concerns related to our traffic
plan at the intersection of First and V Streets NW. Those concerns included the proximity of traffic to
sidewalks and homes, the safety of pedestrians along First Street NW, and the loss of tree box space.
In response to these concerns, DC Water has revised its plan to now request closure of First Street NW for
two months. This full closure will reduce impacts to the existing pedestrian walkways along First Street
NW. Further, the revised plan now provides a 6-foot wide sidewalk along the east side of First Street
throughout the construction period of approximately 20 months. As part of our traffic plan, safety
measures like reduced speed limits, concrete barriers, and separation buffers along the curb line will be
implemented to separate vehicle traffic from pedestrians along the First Street sidewalk. As we previously
committed, all tree box areas will be fully restored to conditions equal to or better than what was present
prior to construction. After completion of the work, First Street will revert to the original one lane in each
direction with the current width. The revised traffic plan must now be approved by the District Department
of Transportation. A description of the revised plan and illustrations showing the various phases of work
are attached to this letter.
Unfortunately, there is no way to relieve the massive flooding problem in the Bloomingdale and LeDroit
Park neighborhoods without temporary impacts to the community during construction. Based on an
extensive public outreach program that included block meetings at the construction sites in 2013, DC
Water developed a construction plan that minimized those impacts. This plan included reducing the size of
each construction staging area and shortening construction schedules. DC Water, in conjunction with the
community, developed a number of additional accommodations including:
Innovative Alternative Parking Areas (APAs) for affected residents;
24/7 home shuttle service to and from the APAs;
Special needs survey to accommodate our most vulnerable residents;
Pre- and post-construction conditions surveys for existing structures near the construction;
1 1
V St NW
N
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 1 West Construction Staging Area
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

N
B

N
B

S
B

S
B

A
L
L
E
Y
W
A
Y

**Approx. 3 Month Duration**
Tree Box Removed
Tree Boxes
Removed
6'-0" Sidewalk Width
At least one sidewalk will remain
open at all times along V Street NW
Temporary Concrete Barrier
Construction Lane Closures
Construction Staging Area
Construction Traffic Flow Direction
Vehicular Traffic Flow Direction
LEGEND
Perspective
for conceptual
rendering
2 2
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 1 West Construction Staging Area
**Conceptual Rendering: details of construction may differ from appearance depicted**
3 3
V St NW
N
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 2 Intersection Closed
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

A
L
L
E
Y
W
A
Y

**Approx. 2 Month Duration**
6'-0" sidewalk width
Construction Lane Closures
Construction Staging Area
Construction Traffic Flow Direction
LEGEND
At least one sidewalk will remain
open at all times along V Street NW
Perspective
for conceptual
rendering
4 4
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 2 Intersection Closed
**Conceptual Rendering: details of construction may differ from appearance depicted**
5 5
V St NW
N
10
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 3 One Way Northbound
Extends to 2025 First St NW
Extends to
2113 First St NW
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

Crosswalk
Closed
Relocated
Crosswalk
N
B

N
B

**Approx. 6 Month Duration**
Tree Boxes
Removed
Tree Boxes
Removed
At least one sidewalk will remain
open at all times along V Street NW
Temporary Concrete Barrier
Construction Lane Closures
Construction Staging Area
Vehicular Traffic Flow Direction
Construction Traffic Flow Direction
Pedestrian Traffic Flow Direction
LEGEND
6'-0"
sidewalk
width
100
Tree Box
Removed
(Restored at
Project
Completion)
Perspective
for conceptual
rendering
6 6
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 3 One Way Northbound
**Conceptual Rendering: details of construction may differ from appearance depicted**
7 7
V St NW
N
11
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 4 One-Way Northbound & Separation Buffer
N
B

Extends to
2025 First St NW
Extends to
2113 First St NW
6'-0" sidewalk width
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

N
B

Crosswalk
Restored
4'-0" separation
buffer
A
L
L
E
Y
W
A
Y

**Approx. 12 Month Duration**
Temporary Concrete Barrier
Construction Lane Closures
Construction Staging Area
Construction Traffic Flow Direction
Vehicular Traffic Flow Direction
Channelizing Device
LEGEND
At least one sidewalk will remain
open at all times along V Street NW
Perspective
for conceptual
rendering
8 8
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Phase 4 One-Way Northbound & Separation Buffer
**Conceptual Rendering: details of construction may differ from appearance depicted**
V St NW
New Tree
Existing Tree
TREES
ACPL Norway Maple
ACSA Sugar Maple
ACRU Red Maple
LAIN Crepe Myrtle
PLHY London Planetree
SHRUBS
AZGP Pink Azalea
GAJA Dwarf Gardenia
New Planter Box
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

Grass Liriope Muscari Big Blue

Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Project Completion Site Restoration Sheet 1
N
9
New Tree
Existing Tree
TREES
ACNI Black Maple
ACRU Red Maple
ACSA Sugar Maple
LAIN Crepe Myrtle
PLHY London Planetree
SHRUBS
AZGW White Gumpo
Azalea
GAJA Dwarf Gardenia
HOPA Patriot Hosta
HYQU Oak Leaf
Hydrangea
GRASSES
HEMI Purple Palace
Coral Bells
IRVE Blueflag Iris
SEAJ Autumn Joy
Stonecrop
New Planter Box
Grass Kentucky Bluegrass, Fescue, Red Top
Grass Liriope Muscari Big Blue

V St NW
F
i
r
s
t

S
t

N
W

Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Project Completion Site Restoration Sheet 2
N
10
11 11
Revised First Street NW Traffic Plan
Project Completion Site Restoration
**Conceptual Rendering: details of plantings may differ from appearance depicted**