2002 Development Blocks NB I-395 Center Leg Tunnel On-Ramp

Northbound I-395 Tunnel On-Ramp,
included in 1975-1986 project
blocked by a 119 unit apartment building constructed 2002-2003, the "Golden Rule Plaza" - apparently never objected to by Ron Linton, who promoted a 1996 plan for a northern tunnel extension from I-395.

Washington, D.C. I-395 Center Leg Tunnel
with the un-opened northbound tunnel on-ramp at right
Note the expansion joints on K Street delineating the load-bearing tunnel walls-

this Center Leg segment was designed to provide 8 full lanes, plus shoulders and an additional northbound to westbound lane to connect with the planned I-66 K Street Tunnel.

This Center Leg segment would be constructed 1975-1978 but for some final finishing work completed 1984-1986 that would include the non-load-bearing added tunnel wall to narrow the carriageways from 4 to 2 lanes apiece.
As its constructed started in 1975, its design accommodated the connections to the I-66 K street Tunnel and the I-95 (I-395) North Leg, respectively 'de-mapped' in 1977 and 1978

Mid 1970s plan with the northbound on ramp as a cut and cover tunnel

 1967 version with the northbound on-ramp largely un-covered

Pictures below taken by Douglas Andrew Willinger, November 18, 2015

Looking north along 2nd Street NW, just north of H Street NW, 

note the highway style lamps at left, in front of the parking structure

A few feet further north, note the highway style lamps behind the wire fence

Looking over the fence, note the space these lamps hover over

Yes, the lamps hover over a slope

Not simply a slope, but an unpaved ramp, leading into a tunnel portal

A closer view of the tunnel portal

A look to the south from the parking area access ramp atop the tunnel portal

A longer view to the south of the sloped ramp into the tunnel portal, 

note the exhaust tower at top center

A look to the north at the roof atop the northern tunneled-covered portion of this on-ramp

Another look northwards, note how the tunnel ramp extends beneath the corner of the air rights apartment building atop the I-395 Tunnel just south of K Street NW

A look at this southwards from the north side of K Street, 

note how that building was designed to go atop the tunnel in a manner 

respecting its underground right of way

A look looking from south of K Street, northwards

Note the expansion joints on K Street delineating the load-bearing walls that frame this tunnel on-ramp

And note this irresponsibly located demolition special apartment building, 

built in 2002- 2003
the "Golden Rule Plaza"

directly in the path of this on-ramps geometric continuation!

A closer view of this irresponsibly located apartment building, 

with the I-395 northern approach visible

Another view of this irresponsibly located apartment building intruding within the I-395 reservation area,

note the additional newer buildings to the left, placed irresponsibly within the past of the eastbound to southbound connector below-ground ramps for the planned I-66 K Street Tunnel.

The I-66 K Street Tunnel was initially promoted by opponents to the earlier 1955 plan for crosstown I-66.

But it would be 'de-mapped' during the 1970s to siphon its funds to sped WMATA construction, with false arguments that Virginia was not going to build their inside the Beltway segment of I-66, and that the world was going to run out of petroleum by the 1990s somehow rendering private automobiles obsolete.

 http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-66-north-leg-west-k-street-tunnel.html

A look at the I-395 tunnel portal on the north side of K Street

Another look at the northern I-395 Tunnel portal, 

note the homeless people's tents in the vicinity of the non-load-bearing walls that block off the space of the outer 2 lanes added during the 1980s after the de-mapping of the connecting freeway segments, the space is used for DDOT storage

Another view, showing the northbound I-395 Tunnel portal 

and the separate tunnel portal at the left for the blocked on-ramp

The north portal of the on-ramp, with I-395 portal obscured at right

The north portal of the on-ramp

A view from the south with K Street running left-right 

showing the non-offending apartment building atop the I-395 Tunnel at left, 

and the offending apartment building in the path of the on-ramp, at right

The southwest corner of the offending apartment building

The front of the offending apartment building constructed in 2002-2003

the Bibleway Church "Golden Rule Plaza" -
a sad waste of money!!!

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bible-way-church-sponsors-new-downtown-affordable-housing-for-seniors-77752632.html

WASHINGTON, June 4 /PRNewswire/ -- The Bible Way Church of Washington, DC,
 currently celebrating its 75th Anniversary, has announced the groundbreaking
 for a new 119-unit senior high-rise apartment building, the Golden Rule Plaza,
 to be constructed just south of the Church at New Jersey and K Streets, NW.
 The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site on Saturday, June 8, 2002
 at 11 AM. DC Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mayor Anthony A. Williams, DC
 City Council Chair Linda Cropp, Ward Six Council Member Sharon Ambrose, Ward
 Two Council Member Jack Evans, DC Housing Finance Agency Director, Milton J.
 Bailey, DC Department of Housing and Community Development Director, Stanley
 Jackson, as well as other city officials, community leaders, and
 representatives of business and financial institutions will participate in the
 ceremony.

 Construction for the senior housing building will begin in June 2002. The
 Golden Rule Plaza is anticipated to be open in July 2003. This new senior
 high-rise is the Church's third sponsored housing development to be built in
 its downtown community, within sight of the United States Capitol. "Since its
 founding in 1927, the Bible Way Church has conceived its mission to encompass
 not only the spiritual, but also the practical aspects of the lives of our
 members, the surrounding community, and the entire city," said Bishop James
 Silver, Pastor of Bible Way.

 Originally conceived in the late 1980's by its founder and 64-year pastor,
 the late Bishop Smallwood E. Williams, the active development phase of the
 project began in the early 90's.  Alicia Terry, President of the Golden Rule
 Plaza, Inc., grew up at Bible Way and is currently partner in a major national
 law firm specializing in public finance.  Vice President Ronald Lipford, AIA,
 also a Bible Way product, heads his own architecture firm in Prince George's
 County. Terry and Lipford have led a team of board members, community,
 technical, and financial advisors to complete the complex development process
 over the past several years.

 Financing for the Golden Rule Plaza was provided by: the District of
 Columbia Housing Finance Agency, the US Department of Housing and Urban
 Development, the DC Department of Housing and Community Development, Apollo
 Housing Capital, the Federal Home Loan Bank of Atlanta and Riggs Bank, and
 Square 456 Associates.  In addition to Golden Rule Plaza, Inc., the
 development team included: MissionFirst Development, LLC (development
 manager); Bryant, Bryant, Williams, PC (architect); the Orr Companies
 (construction manager); Maggin Construction Company (building contractor);
 Baber & Kalinowski, PC; Kutak Rock LLC; Holland & Knight; Liotta, Dranitzki &
 Engel; and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (legal).

It is a shame that Bibleway church would do something so contemptuous and wasteful by insisting upon this exact location; it is unclear why this building was not located differently, perhaps across the street, or even just a few feet to the north and east in order to not block the path of the on-ramp.

This northern segment of the Center Leg had been re-designed to steer to the northwest in order to avoid the Bibleway Church itself on the southwest cornet of New York and New Jersey Avenues NW- some earlier versions would have displaced it.