The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) will begin alley paving on Monday, August 25, 2025, weather permitting, for the alley bounded by Nicholson St NE, Kensington Pl NE, Madison St NE and 6th St NE (Square 3740). Work will take approximately one week to complete, weather permitting.
Workdays are Monday through Saturday between the hours of 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Once the work begins, the areas under construction will be closed and parking will not be permitted. Pedestrians and vehicles will not have access to private property with entrances along the alley.
For questions or concerns contact DDOT at 301-634-4435 or by email at adil.rizvi@dc.gov.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) held two public meetings to discuss next steps for the South Dakota Avenue NE Corridor Safety project.
The tl;dr is that DDOT will not be doing a road diet. Instead, they will focus on spot treatments at a few problematic intersections. DDOT has a new survey asking residents to rank possible locations for spot treatment. South Dakota & Galloway is one of the intersections being considered. South Dakota & Decatur is another.
For South Dakota & Galloway, they would potentially look at signal timing and improvements to crossings and cross time. For South Dakota & Decatur, they would potentially look at signalization, improvements to crossings, and simplifying the intersection.
If you care, take the survey and rank the locations. You can also suggest other locations for consideration.
It is worth taking at a look at the presentation slides and project website. DDOT explained how they determine whether a road diet is feasible. They explained the impact of a full road diet to travel the entire South Dakota Avenue corridor from Bladensburg to Riggs to show that delay would be minimal.
On weekdays, northbound motorists would see a 1 minute decrease in travel time for the entire corridor during morning peak and a 4.7 minute increase during evening peak.
On weekdays, southbound motorists would see a 7.3 minute increase in travel time for the entire corridor during morning peak and a 2.7 minute increase during evening peak.
On weekends, a full road diet would increase travel time 42 seconds going northbound and 2.3 minutes going southbound.
They also shared travel time impacts at key intersections. Spot treatment modeling videos are on the project website:
(One thing a resident pointed out to me is that these numbers are based on present day; the study does not take into account planned development along/near the corridor.)
A full road diet for the entire corridor would cost around $6.5 million. DDOT does not plan to seek funding necessary for a road diet, choosing to focus their efforts on the previously identified high risk corridors. DDOT will publish the safety study and keep it in DDOT’s library for future reference. They will use the $600,000 remaining in the project budget on spot treatments at a few locations.
Spot Treatments
Examples of safety treatments that may be implemented include:
New Traffic Signal Installation
Curb Extensions (Bulb-outs)
Pavement Marking Improvements
Turn Lane Modifications
No Turn on Red
Left-Turn Traffic Calming
Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs)
HAWK Signal (Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon)
Median Refuge Islands
DDOT discussed the costs of common treatments. A full traffic signal costs $300,000. Markings signs, and side street safety treatments can cost $10,000- $50,000 per intersection. Concrete improvements can start at $50k for a curb extensions or median island. So if DDOT puts a traffic signal at one of the intersections, that will use up half of the $600,000 budget for spot treatments. DDOT shared all of this to manage expectations and to emphasize that there will be tradeoffs depending on what is most important to residents.
As ranked by number of comments received, the number one and number two locations of concern were (1) South Dakota & Galloway and (2) South Dakota and Riggs. But DDOT does not plan to address South Dakota & Riggs any time soon. A DDOT representative first told me it is not part of Ward 5 (it partially is) and then they said that Riggs needs its own corridor study and that “we need to talk to our councilmember,” referring to the Ward 4 councilmember.
(Aside: This is pretty typical where the executive and council pass the ball back and forth and make residents jump through hoops again and again and do repeated backflips to get a known problem addressed. In this case, one that the city is responsible for poorly designing in the first place. Moving on.)
DDOT will select locations for spot treatment based on a few factors, including safety data and community input.
Selection criteria include:
High Injury Network intersections – areas with a history of severe or fatal crashes.
Intersections with high crash rates – based on recent traffic collision data.
School zones – especially where children frequently walk, bike, or cross busy streets.
Unsignalized multi-lane crosswalks – crossings that lack traffic signals and are challenging for people to navigate safely.
Resident-identified areas – any additional locations where the community has raised serious safety concerns.
During the meeting, DDOT stated they will prioritize locations based on crash data and turning movement (primarily looking at left turn conflicts with pedestrians). After the public presentation, DDOT told me they will also consider input from Councilmember Parker.
Timeline
DDOT will have a another meeting to review and prioritize spot improvement locations. Once the locations are selected, DDOT will finalize design and issue Notices of Intent (NOIs) before installing any treatment. DDOT expects to start spot improvement construction in fall 2026.
South Dakota Avenue Corridor Safety Project Public Meeting Notice
(WASHINGTON, DC) — The District Department of Transportation (DDOT), in partnership with Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, invites you to attend public meetings for the South Dakota Avenue Corridor Safety Project from Riggs Road NE to Bladensburg Road NE. DDOT will be hosting two meetings: a virtual meeting on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and an in-person meeting on Saturday, July 12, 2025.
DDOT staff will provide an update on the progress of the study, present data and community feedback collected, and outline the next steps in the process. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and engage directly with DDOT representatives.
Materials from this meeting will be made available on the study website within 72 hours of meeting conclusion. Those who would like to leave a comment about the study can do so by leaving a comment on the project website
Metrorail weekend service for Saturday, June 28 through Sunday, June 29
Advisory Effective: 6/28/25 – 6/29/25
Hours: Sat 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.; Sun 6 a.m. – midnight
Red Line
Free shuttle buses replace trains between Rhode Island Avenue and Takoma. No Red Line service at Fort Totten Station and Brookland-CUA Station closed. Normal Service frequencies between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Avenue stations and between Takoma and Glenmont stations.
Metro’s Better Bus revamped bus network goes into effect June 29, 2025, meaning lots of changes to bus routes across the region.
Metro has some really handy tools and information to help riders get acclimated to the new changes, including maps, trip planner information, route information, and other resources. Visit wmata.com/betterbus for details.
Naming Convention
All bus routes will be renamed. Routes will begin with a letter to indicate the area served:
“A” for Arlington/Alexandria
“C” (crosstown) or “D” (downtown) for DC
“F” for Fairfax City, Fairfax County, and Falls Church
“M” for Montgomery County
“P” for Prince George’s County
Limited-stop Routes are indicated by an “X” at the end of their names
Metro has produced really handy neighborhood profiles, which provide a sort of crosswalk between existing routes and new routes. Routes serving the Riggs Park neighborhood are included in the Brookland, University Heights, & Fort Totten profile.
Bus stops being eliminated in and near the neighborhood.
Every other Silver Line train will run to New Carrollton instead of Downtown Largo.
More Silver Line service during peak times:
Eastbound from Wiehle-Reston to New Carrollton in the morning.
Westbound from Stadium-Armory to Wiehle-Reston in the afternoon.
More Red Line service during peak times:
Trains every 4 to 5 minutes during the busiest portions of weekday rush hours.
Future changes effective December 2025
The extension of the Yellow Line, with half of Metro’s trains operating between Huntington and Greenbelt and half operating between Huntington and Mt. Vernon Sq., will begin in December 2025.
In-station signage maps will be updated in phases. Pay close attention to digital maps, as printed maps will be updated throughout the summer.
Neighbor Gavin shared that Metro has a survey out about walking and biking to Metro. Please take a few minutes to recommend improvements for the area around Fort Totten station in the comment box in the survey.
Roadway Project on South Dakota Avenue NE from Galloway Street NE to Ingraham Street NE Begins May 16
(WASHINGTON, DC) —
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is scheduled to begin roadway work that includes concrete work on South Dakota Avenue NE from Galloway Street NE to Ingraham Street NE starting on or about Friday, May 16, 2025, weather permitting. The roadway project is anticipated to be completed by Friday, June 20, 2025. Temporary lane closures are to be expected with one travel lane remaining open.
Work will take place from Monday through Friday, (daytime) from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The contractor may work Saturdays (daytime) with prior DDOT approval.
Adjacent curbside parking may be restricted during the repair work. If so, parking signs will be posted at least 72 hours in advance at locations where parking will be restricted. The emergency “NO PARKING” signs will provide details of the hours of construction operations, dates, duration of the work, and information on the engineer in charge.
Traffic control devices will be in place to warn pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers approaching the work zone(s). Drivers are advised to stay alert while traveling near the work locations, be prepared for possible detours and to be observant of the work zone.
Cyclists should be prepared to adjust their route accordingly. Metro bus will continue their routes. Flaggers will be available to manage traffic and arrow boards will be utilized, as necessary
Bike to Work Day is Thursday, May 15, 2025. There will be a pit stop at Fort Totten Metro Station from 6-9am!
The first 18,000 who register and attend at a pit stop receive a FREE T-shirt. Free giveaways, food, and beverages at participating locations, while supplies last.
Join WABA for their next DC meetup in Brightwood. This will be an informal social event. Stop by any time but register to let WABA know you are coming.
Metrorail weekend service for Saturday, April 19 through Sunday, April 20
Advisory Effective: 4/19/25 – 4/20/25
Hours: Sat 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sun 7 a.m. – Midnight
Service-At-A-Glance
Red Line
Free shuttle buses replace trains between Rhode Island Ave and Takoma stations. Brookland-CUA and Fort Totten (Red Line platform) closed. Trains run every 6 minutes (daytime) and 10 minutes (evening) between Shady Grove and Rhode Island Ave and between Takoma and Glenmont.
Silver Line
Trains single track between Herndon and Innovation Center. Trains run every 12 minutes (daytime) and 15 minutes (evening). Trips may be earlier or later than regularly scheduled to avoid conflicts in work zones.
Blue Line
Normal Service. Trips may be earlier or later than regularly scheduled to avoid conflicts in work zones.
Orange Line
Normal Service. Trips may be earlier or later than regularly scheduled to avoid conflicts in work zones.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) recently installed a short two-way cycletrack on the south side of Riggs Road between 1st Place NE and South Dakota Avenue NE. DDOT initially proposed installing the cycletrack back in 2022. Plans stalled due to staffing issues before DDOT reissued a Notice of Intent in 2023. Plans always included retaining a portion of the dedicated right-turn lane from Riggs onto South Dakota.
I used the cycletrack earlier this week. The nice thing about it is that it does provide a way for people to connect to the Met Branch Trail from east of South Dakota Avenue without having to share the narrow sidewalk with pedestrians.
It seems like drivers are getting used to it. A couple of ancillary effects of the new cycletrack are that drivers can no longer use the dedicated right-turn lane from Riggs onto 1st Place NE to drive straight ahead to South Dakota as they used to do. They can no longer change lanes in the middle of the intersection like they used to do. And just from my initial observation, it seems like there is a little less speeding down the slight hill towards South Dakota. People realize they need to drive a bit more carefully through this area.
In a recent newsletter, Ward 4 Councilmember Janeese Lewis George noted that she is working ANC Commissioner Danielle Geong (4B09) on pedestrian safety near LaSalle-Backus Elementary School. Commissioner Geong and several residents testified about this issue at DDOT’s recent oversight hearing.
CM Lewis George writes:
Working to Improve Traffic Safety in Riggs Park
Last week, my team joined ANC 4B Commissioner Geong, DDOT’s Safe Routes team, and the LaSalle-Backus PTO for a traffic safety walk around LaSalle-Backus Elementary School. The area along Riggs Road where the school is located has been a source of concern for many community members, with frequent reports of speeding and drivers running red lights, endangering students and families, particularly during drop-off and pick-up time. DDOT’s Safe Routes team is looking into several solutions, including potential jersey barriers, street narrowing, and speed bumps, and committed to improving signage in the area. I’m also continuing to work with DDOT to advocate for a Safe Routes Action Plan for LaSalle-Backus to look into further traffic calming measures to ensure our students, teachers, and families are safe.
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has issued a Notice of Intent (NOI 25-03-TSA) to install a new crosswalk at 8th and Jefferson Street NE. Send comments in support to alexander.webb@dc.gov by April 24, 2025.
[Ed. Note: I scheduled a few posts about mundane things to run today. I do want to acknowledge the terrible loss of life following the accident at National Airport and extend sympathies to everyone impacted.]
Metro is seeking input on its proposed Fiscal Year 2026 budget. For details and to submit comments/complete the public survey, visit wmata.com/budget. Provide feedback by 5:00 pm on February 10, 2025.
Metro is having hearings on the budget proposal during the first week of February. The Notice of Hearing contains instructions on how to sign up to testify.
Monday, February 3, 2025, 6 p.m.
Metro Building at Eisenhower, 2401 Mill Road, Alexandria, VA 22314
Metro staff will be available at 5:30 p.m. for an open house.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 6 p.m.
Metro L’Enfant Plaza Headquarters, 300 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20024
Metro staff will be available at 5:30 p.m. for an open house.
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 12 p.m.
Virtual only (via telephone or video); no open house
Wednesday, February 5, 2025, 6 p.m.
Metro Building at New Carrollton, 4100 Garden City Drive, Hyattsville, MD 20785
Metro staff will be available at 5:30 p.m. for an open house.
All hearings will be broadcast online at wmata.com/budget or youtube.com/metroforward.
Proposed Changes
Metro’s summary of proposed changes:
Extend half of Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt
Split Silver Line service between Downtown Largo and New Carrollton
Additional peak service on Red and Silver lines
Increase Weekend Hours of Operation
Implementing the Better Bus Network redesign
Introduce an open payment fare system, allowing taps from credit and debit cards
The big news is that Metro is proposing to run half of Yellow Line trains to Greenbelt, with the other half ending at their current terminus at Mt. Vernon Square. Please comment in support of this proposed change.
Metro is proposing to increase peak service on the red line during the busiest times:
Operate Red Line trains up to every 4 minutes, from every 5 minutes, during the busiest portions of weekday rush periods to provide additional capacity in both directions of travel. Red Line trains would continue to operate every 5 minutes during the remainder of peak service.
I personally think Metro needs to increase service more than proposed, given the constant drumbeat about workers returning to the office five days a week and the fact that trains are already crowded during rush hour right now.
Also, Metro seems to have a problem with red line trains overshooting the platform lately. When trains stop beyond the platform, trains end up getting delayed up and down the line. This has happened seemingly three days in a row now, and I saw it happen by a long shot while waiting for a train at Judiciary Square a couple of weeks ago. Metro is running a lot of six-car trains during rush hour for reasons and when there are delays, the trains get dangerously crowded. Rush hour service on the red line has been pretty bad every day this week.
The proposed budget would also implement the “Better Bus Network,” which includes changes to bus routes and bus stops in our neighborhood. We previously discussed those changes on the blog. The budget proposal states that bus service changes have already been approved by Metro’s board. People can still comment if they would like.
Finally, Metro still needs a dedicated source of funding.
Starting December 20, 2024, Metro will close select downtown stations on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines for an 11-day construction project.
Key Details:
· December 20-26: Farragut West, McPherson Square, and the lower level of Metro Center will be closed.
· December 27-30: The closures expand to include Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, and L’Enfant Plaza (lower level).
· Stations will reopen December 31.
During the closure, free shuttle buses will replace train service. The project includes replacing fasteners, welding joints, upgrading platform lighting, and more.
In the redesign, Metro continues to propose eliminating several neighborhood bus stops, as discussed in this post. But Metro now proposes to retain the stop at Chillum Place & Eastern Avenue NE that was originally slated for removal.
Bus Stop
Route
Plan
South Dakota Ave & 8th St NE
80
Remove
Galloway St & South Dakota Ave NE
80, E2, F6
Remove
Riggs Rd & Rock Creek Church NE
60, 64, E4, K2, K6
Remove
Riggs Rd & Blair Rd NE
60, 64, E4, K2, K6
Remove
Chillum Pl & Eastern Ave NE
E4
Retain
New Hampshire Ave & Longfellow St NE
K6
Remove
Nicholson St & Riggs Rd NE
E4
Remove
New Hampshire Ave & Oneida St NE
K6
Remove
New Hampshire Ave & Quackenbos St NE
K6
Remove
I am personally annoyed about the planned removal of the stop at South Dakota and Galloway. Riggs Park residents will have to either walk up the steep dirt hill to the stop at Galloway & 4th or walk to the stop at South Dakota & Farragut and stand at a stop on a narrow sidewalk without a bench or shelter. Alas.
(Yesterday, Councilmember Zachary Parker sent a letter to Metro leadership with some initial concerns about some of the proposed stop removals in Ward 5. The letter mentions the stops at Riggs/Rock Creek Church and Riggs/Blair).
New Naming Convention
Metro is moving forward with the new naming convention. Routes are named based on the following criteria:
The first character represents general area:
D or C (District of Columbia, with D generally corresponding to routes serving Downtown and C with Crosstown routes)
M (Montgomery)
P (Prince George’s)
A (Arlington and Alexandria)
F (Fairfax County, City of Fairfax, and Falls Church)
The second character represents a number that clusters routes along the same corridor or in the same neighborhood
The third character distinguishes it from other routes in that cluster; an X represents limited-stop service
Neighborhood Bus Route Crosswalk: Existing Route –> Approximate Proposed Route
E2 –> C71 Fort Totten – Union Station via Ivy City E4 –> C81 Sibley Hospital – Fort Totten 80 –> D30 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via North Capitol Street 64 –> D44 Fort Totten – Federal Triangle via 11 Street NW K2 –> C77 Takoma – Fort Totten K6, K9 –> M60 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via New Hampshire Avenue K6, K9 –> M6X White Oak FDA – Fort Totten R1, R2 –> P15 Riggs Road – Adelphi via Riggs Road) R1, R2 –> P16 White Oak Medical Center – Fort Totten via Riggs Road F6 –> P32 Fort Totten – Greenbelt F6 –> P35 Fort Totten – New Carrollton K2 –> P42 Takoma – New Carrollton
Route Changes
Neighbor Gavin and I took a quick look at some of the final route changes for the neighborhood. A few differ from what Metro proposed earlier this year. Entirely possible missed some things or got something wrong. Metro made some tweaks to the Maryland lines that serve Fort Totten station, but I did not look super closely at them.
Metro prepared a handy response summary providing a bit of rationale for some of their decisions.
Service on Riggs Road/Chillum Place/Nicholson Street/Eastern Avenue NE(E2 –>C71)
Metro is moving forward with chopping the upper NE/NW route E4 crosstown loop to Riggs Park. Seems planners could not quite figure out what to do about service between Fort Totten station and Eastern Avenue NE, despite the several comments asking them to keep at least one crosstown loop to Riggs Park so that people can actually travel crosstown and get to locations like grocery stores, schools, library, and their homes without having to transfer buses.
Previously Metro proposed adding the eastern tail of the current loop to a route that would go out to Maryland. In the final plan, Metro goes in a completely different direction by putting the eastern tail onto route C71, a route most similar to existing route E2 that runs between Fort Totten and Union Station via Ivy City. Looks like the route will no longer travel down Gallatin Street NE. Instead, the route will service South Dakota, Riggs, Chillum Place, Eastern, and Nicholson.
Service 7 days/week. Frequency 20-30 weekdays; 30 minutes on weekends.
There will be just one upper NE/NW crosstown loop serving Fort Totten station. Route C81 will serve locations between Fort Totten station and Sibley Hospital. There will no longer be direct crosstown service to Friendship Heights station.
Service 7 days/week. Frequency of 20 minutes most of the time.
Metro previously proposed eliminating route K2 between Takoma and Fort Totten station. The final plan adopts new route C77, which will be similar to existing route K2.
Route C77 will run only on weekdays during rush hour. Frequency of 20 minutes.
Some Thoughts
This network redesign was a hefty task. I appreciate the level of outreach that Metro conducted and the various online tools developed to help make sense of all of the proposed changes and provide feedback. I also appreciated the comment/response summary documents. It is clear how much work went into collecting and analyzing all of the feedback and coming up with a final plan designed to meet several objectives. So while I would like to think of the bus as my personal chauffeur, I get that there have to be adjustments and tradeoffs.
Hopefully sooner rather than later, Metro will be able to enjoy a more sensible funding structure, and we can get a visionary network that the city and region deserve. On the Metrorail side, looking forward to the purple line in opening in a few years. Also, Metro is talking publicly about possibly restoring some yellow service to Fort Totten station.
In the meantime, Metro will be preparing to implement the bus network changes in summer 2025.
From Metro (updated, blue/yellow line trains will serve Pentagon station)
Metrorail weekend service for Saturday, November 16 through Sunday, November 17
Advisory Effective: 11/16/24 – 11/17/24
Hours: Sat 7 a.m. – 1 a.m.; Sun 7 a.m. – Midnight
Service-At-A-Glance
Red Line
Free shuttle buses replace trains between Fort Totten and NoMa-Gallaudet U. Trains run every 6 minutes (daytime) and 10 minutes (evening) between Glenmont and Fort Totten and every 8 minutes (daytime) and 10 minutes (evening) between NoMa-Gallaudet U and Shady Grove. Rhode Island Ave and Brookland-CUA stations closed.
DDOT will study South Dakota Avenue NE from Bladensburg Road to Riggs Road NE for potential safety improvements. Currently DDOT has funding for design and construction of improvements on just the southern portion of the corridor, from Bladensburg to Taylor Street NE.
View details, concept plans, meeting slides, and timeline information on the project website.
Next Stop...Riggs Park 