DCBAC Sees Preliminary Design for the Georgetown Protected Bike Lane

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At the May 3 D.C. Bicycle Advisory Council meeting, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) Bicycle Program Manager and the Georgetown Business Improvement District (BID) Transportation Director discussed the Georgetown K and Water Street Corridor Bicycle - Pedestrian Connectivity Enhancements plan and displayed the concept design to BAC members.

As part of the Georgetown 2028 Plan, which hopes to bring more people to Georgetown through improvements to the neighborhood’s infrastructure, the protected lane would create a connection between the Capital Crescent and Rock Creek Parkway trails along the K and Water Street corridor beneath the Whitehurst Freeway. As reported in April, DDOT and the BID met with the Georgetown ANC, which approved the draft concept.

The concept plan shown below and with permission from DDOT, is at 30 percent of full design. It illustrates the general outline of the lanes and contains basic measurements and location of certain structures. The plan identifies how the lanes could interact with vehicle travel lanes, vehicle parking, and pedestrian structures.  The plan also shows new bicycle lanes at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue. The lanes provide protection for cyclists climbing this hill and end at the Wisconsin Avenue bridge over the C&O Canal, one of the oldest bridges in the District.


Construction of the lanes could start as early as this year along much of the corridor after Pepco utility work in the area is completed. Temporary work would include the addition of bollards and lane striping. More permanent structures, which could include protective planters and sidewalk modifications, would happen over the next few years.

The plans presented do not show a specific connection to the Capitol Crescent Trail. The National Park Service is currently rehabilitating the Key Bridge, which repairs will not be completed until 2018 or 2019. The BID and DDOT will workThe plans also do not show connections to the Rock Creek Parkway trail, the L or M Street protected bike lanes, or to the K Street ramp that leads to 27th Street as that area lies outside of the project scope. The presenters also discussed potential connections to the Rock Creek Trail that could include changes to the sidewalk or bridges, although they could be funded through some other means.