The Roosevelt Bridge (not) Safety

[whitewulff]

The other day a couple of runners refused to go single file on me on the Roosevelt Bridge until the last minute. This got me thinking. The safety rail needs to be raised and improved. There should be equal safety on the three bridges with bike paths crossing into DC. There isn’t. Everytime there is two way traffic on that narrow bike path I am thinking this is an accident waiting to happen. Somebody is going to spill into traffic. Below is my correspondence with DDOT. Feel free to write your own emails to them.

Me: Dear DDOT: First thanks for keeping things in shape around the city. I was wondering if there is a plan or proposal to build a higher safety rail on the bike/running path on the Roosevelt Bridge. As it is, the rail is currently inadequate as a biker could easily spill into traffic. A higher rail similar to the 14th Street Bridge would be more appropriate. This would also be fitting with DDOT’s mission: “DDOT is committed to achieving an exceptional quality of life in the nation’s capital through more sustainable travel practices, safer streets and outstanding access to goods and services.” Many hundreds of bikers use the bridge every day. The path is great! Let’s make it safer.

DDOT: We haven’t thought about that. There was a study to rebuild the entire bridge, which would have a wider sidewalk and higher railing, but I think that was shelved.

We’ll take a look.

-jim
James R. Sebastian, AICP

Supervisory Transportation Planner

Active Transportation Branch

Policy, Planning and Sustainability Administration

District Department of Transportation

55 M Street, SE

Washington, DC 20003

(202) 671-2331 (desk)

(202) 409-9197 (mobile)

AND AFTER I RESPONDED AGAIN WITH A FEW MORE SUGGESTIONS, I GOT THIS ROBO SIGNED EMAIL:

Thank you for contacting the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to request the installation of a higher railing on the Roosevelt Bridge between the bike path and the roadway.

We have forwarded your concerns to our traffic engineers, who will take your suggestions into consideration for future infrastructure projects at this location.

For further questions or concerns about this issue, please contact DDOT at 202-673-6813.

http://www.goDCgo.com

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