Southeast Boulevard Planning Study

Thursday, July 2, 2015

Reference:

SAP6

In February 2013, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) began a transportation planning study to investigate transforming the Southeast Expressway Interstate into a boulevard that is integrated with adjacent neighborhoods between the new 11th Street Bridge and Barney Circle and the Anacostia River Waterfront. During the course of the study, Advisory Neighborhood Commission 6B and Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells asked the DC Office of Planning (OP) to get involved and assist in evaluating additional street design options, as well as the broader urban planning context for the boulevard.

In May 2014, OP kicked off a “rapid response” technical assistance study intended to:

Develop concepts for urban design and land use for the area within and immediately adjacent to the Southeast Boulevard right-of-way (ROW);
Evaluate concepts in the context of District-wide planning objectives, issues raised through the DDOT study, the purpose and need outlined in the transportation study, the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative (AWI) framework and other planning guidance, as well as legal and physical constraints to improvements within the ROW; and
Deliver solutions/strategies to inform the further development of transportation planning for the boulevard and any future planning work that may be undertaken by District agencies.

The study was guided by a Project Advisory Team that includes OP, DDOT, ANC 6B, the Ward 6 Councilmember’s office, and the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED).

Project Status

In August 2014, OP produced several urban design concepts for the boulevard and presented them to the Project Advisory Team and the community for feedback. OP presented three refined design concepts in December at a final community meeting hosted by ANC 6B. OP produced a final report on the study that evaluated the three concepts and incorporated community input. The final report was published in July 2015 and is available for download below.

The next step is a feasibility study of the three concepts, to be conducted by DDOT in 2015. For more information about the DDOT feasibility study, please visit Anacostia Waterfront page

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