A Closer Look at the FY 2018 - 2022 DDOT STIP

The DDOT STIP is a 4-year Transporation Plan.
Photo: Author

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) presented its draft Fiscal Year 2018 - 2022 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Monday, October 2 at the Shaw Public Library. The plan includes several important projects like the continued rehabilitation of Rock Creek and Capital Bikeshare maintenance and expansion, but there were a few missing.

The $1.1 billion Draft Fiscal Year 2018-2022 STIP is a District-wide, long-range funding plan that prioritized transportation projects that are eligible for federal grant funding. The projects listed are consistent with the District's statewide transportation plan, also known as moveDC, which differs from STIP as it doesn't allocate funding.

The STIP tracks federally funded and regionally-significant projects that directly address the transportation needs of the District. The STIP is produced every two years and is a cooperative effort that requires the input of District stakeholders, regional partners, and the public. The STIP does not include projects that are funded exclusively through local resources, which would include elements of the District's Streetcar or Circulator projects. The full list of projects can be seen here.

The plan contains 117 projects and while many are allocated by ward, the majority deal with District-wide operational or administrative needs. The STIP has nine project categories that include Major Multimodal improvements, which build key transportation corridors, typically addressing travel by a mix of modes (including transit, vehicular, bicycle, and pedestrian), operations, safety, curbside uses, and public space quality; to Asset Management, which maintains and upgrades transportation assets including roadway pavement, streetlights, traffic signals, and signal systems.

Of the total number of projects, about 14 specifically state having a bike component or are designated as one of the nine project categories as Bicycling and Pedestrian initiatives. Projects that focus solely on expanding or maintaining bike infrastructure represents about 3.9 percent of total STIP spending or about $45 million over 4 years. Adding in the projects that contain bike components, like Safe Routes to School, the total stated investment in bicycling is approximately 13.6 percent or $159 million of STIP planned spending.

DDOT is conducting a short online survey to gather public comments and determine how the STIP is perceived and what should be the District's top transportation priorities. Additionally, the survey asks general questions regarding how residents use the District's transportation network. The survey also has a section that allows you to add what you believe is missing from the STIP. The comment period ends October 25, 2017. The DDOT STIP management team will also accept feedback by email.

Below is a table listing all projects that have a bicycling component or are bicycling specific. Certain projects like bridge replacement and equipment purchases may make the roads safer for bicycling but is not included in this list.



While the STIP has many improvements for bicycling and pedestrians, there are a few missing projects or projects that descriptions that don't specify bicycling improvements. The New York Avenue corridor contains several planned projects but is not shown in the STIP. DDOT staff stated that projects that are in the early planning stages or do not have a funding stream attached are not included. Irving Street (at North Capitol Street), the Metropolitan Branch Trail extension, and the reconstruction Southeast Boulevard are also absent. Although the rebuilding of New Jersey Avenue between Massachusetts and N Streets NW and the replacement of the Fredrick Douglass / South Capitol Street Bridge projects should include protected infrastructure, it was not stated in the draft plan so it was excluded from this list.

The Draft Plan October 2 meeting. Photo: Author

The STIPs included improvements help link the District's Wards and maintain the current infrastructure in a state of good repair. The Arboretum Bridge and Trail project would provide a much-needed link from Ward 7 to Wards 5 and 6. Currently, the neared pedestrian crossing is Benning Road, which is poor given its focus on moving vehicular traffic. And because of its current inhospitable state, the replacement of the Benning Road Bridge over Kenilworth Avenue in northeast will greatly improve the ability of pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the Anacostia safely.