DDOT moves ahead on plans for three new protected bike lanes in Northwest

Editor’s Note: Originally published on Jan. 4, this post has been updated with the new Feb. 13 deadline for public comment.

The District is moving forward with plans to expand its network of protected bike lanes with three new routes downtown and in the Petworth area.

Each project has a slightly different timeline, but the DC Department of Transportation (DDOT) hopes to complete all three by 2021. The new lanes are part of a larger effort to expand transportation options in the District and meet several long-term planning goals for sustainability, neighborhood connectedness and safety.

In the western part of downtown, the DC Protected Bike Lanes Project calls for a new cycle track from the National Mall to Dupont Circle on 20th, 21st or 22nd Street NW. Meanwhile, east downtown could get a new route on either 6th or 9th Street NW; for Petworth, designs include a crosstown route on Irving Street NW.

The project — which will add new bike lanes separated by physical barriers such as plastic bollards — builds upon the city’s 2005 Bicycle Master Plan and moveDC, a long-range transportation plan developed in 2014.

According to Megan Kanagy, a DDOT planner who’s helping oversee the project, both of those plans identified the Dupont Circle and Foggy Bottom areas as needing protected bike lanes, and moveDC recommended one along 21st Street.

DDOT is currently exploring three potential options in that area for a single, two-way track running south and north. Residents can view those options on the project’s website, with online comments accepted through Wednesday, Feb. 13 — an extension from the original date of Jan. 6. DDOT intends to make its final decision after reviewing the public feedback.

“This particular neighborhood of Dupont down to Foggy Bottom and through the National Mall does not have any north-south bike lanes,” Kanagy said, adding that a new track will help cyclists connect to other bike lanes and facilities in the city.

Robert Gardner, advocacy director for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, agreed that downtown is in dire need of protected lanes.

“Downtown is one of the areas of greatest ridership — and specifically an area of concern because of the high rate of crashes and volume of car traffic,” he wrote in an email.

The association has one prominent concern: The timelines are too long.

“The main problem with these projects is that they won’t be built until 2020 at the earliest. That’s a ridiculously long timeline,” he wrote. “A great example of how long these projects take is [that 20th, 21st and 22nd streets] were identified and included in the 2005 Bike Master Plan — that’s a full 15 years to get a bike lane build in the city.”

During its planning phase last spring, DDOT ruled out the idea of two one-way bike lanes — like those now on L and M streets — because they would eat up too much parking and curbside space.

“We know that these streets had a lot going on in terms of parking and curbside access, or just generally being the streets that connect through the center of our city,” Kanagy said. “At different times they have different traffic needs, so we tried to minimize those projected impacts.”

Gardner also recognized parking as a potential hiccup.

“Nobody wants to lose parking. We are sympathetic to that concern; however, repurposing public space is important for the District if we are going to hit our climate, transportation, and safety goals,” he wrote.

At a Dec. 5 meeting, community members gathered at the West End Neighborhood Library to view design mockups for the western downtown project. Comments from residents noted that hotel ramps could make some areas dangerous for bikes, and that taxis might lose space for stopping.

The Eastern Downtown project, meanwhile, is looking at the area including Chinatown and Shaw. DDOT is currently in the design phase of exploring options for south-north routes on either 6th or 9th Street NW between Florida and Pennsylvania avenues.

The Petworth project is also in its design stage, after the DDOT team set up a temporary installation in September along the 400 block of Kenyon Street NW between Park Place and Warder Street.

In that area, DDOT is now looking at a crosstown route on Kenyon and Irving streets connecting the neighborhoods of Columbia Heights and Brookland. Two south-north routes — on 5th Street NW and Warder Place NW in Petworth — are also under consideration.

Kanagy said the impact on parking is top of mind for DDOT with all bike lane projects. “That’s always something that we like to be very careful about,” she said. “There’s definitely been concerns raised about parking, and concerns raised about safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and everyone on the roadway.”

But overall, Kanagy said she believes there’s excitement among residents about the upcoming lanes.

With the Dupont to National Mall track, she said: “There’s definitely support from folks who are currently biking in this area or would like to start biking in this area, but don’t feel like it’s a safe option for them right now. Generally, this is a piece of the bike network that’s been missing for some time.”

Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2B (Dupont Circle) is slated to consider a resolution regarding the proposed lanes at its Jan. 9 meeting, when members will vote on a preferred route and configuration.

Commissioner Randy Downs — co-chair of last year’s ANC 2B Transportation and Public Infrastructure Committee — focused on two options on Friday in a Twitter thread with a poll: a full, protected lane on 20th Street from D Street to Q Street; and a cycletrack on 21st Street from Constitution Avenue to New Hampshire Avenue, with a contraflow lane from N to S. He cited a personal preference for 21st, but noted that he will be seeking a compromise because some of his colleagues disagree.

Meanwhile, a commissioner in Foggy Bottom/West End also weighed on Friday. “I’m calling for the safest, most expansive bike network possible,” tweeted ANC 2A member James Harnett.