Eastern SE Freeway Bastardization

Simply converting the eastern portion of the SE Freeway to a boulevard increases vehicular-pedestrian conflict, and is totally unnecessary, as evident from the cross sections in the Middle Anacostia Transportation Study, seen here [warning- PDF] at page 35 "Boulevard Typical Section #2 - Looking East towards Barney Circle".




Evidently the topography favors covering over the existing freeway, with the new boulevard atop; not shown is the idea of covering the RR nor extending the cover towards the Anacostia River with a terrace/staircase, as already done at the Lincoln Memorial. As this involves covering the existing freeway -- IOW no new depressing -- this is a comparatively cheap freeway under-grounding, unlike say this freeway to the west between the 11th Street and 1th Street Bridges.

The idea of covering the segment of this freeway between 14th and 15th Streets SE appeared in this late 1960s illustration seen here.

Continuing this cover westerly requires removing the elevated approaches to the 11th Street Bridges, something that I propose with a replacement with below grade approaches that would conflict with the existing heavy RR, though compatible if converted to vehicular traffic or lighter rail which can tolerate grade changes upwards of 5% whereas heavy RR can only tolerate a 1% grade. As with the highway, this railroad right of way is coverable.

Continuing this cover easterly to Barney Circle would be feasible with allowances for the ramps.

Likewise, the topography allows such a relatively easy under-grounding for this freeway's needed extension to RFK Stadium- East Capitol Street, and is fully compatible with planning for a slow speed waterfront boulevard atop, including the idea of a traffic circle at Massachusetts Avenue SE. Here to the railroad should also be covered.


Only those promoting a mindless ideology against urban freeways -- alas those traditionally in control of the governments -- would rather place all of this vehicular traffic upon the surface waterfront boulevard.

11th Street Bridge[s] Fiasco, Evacuation Route Ramp Demolition To Come

From the JD site:

Then there's the bridges: Reconstruction of the 11th Street Bridges is scheduled to begin in mid-2009. (The shortlist of firms vying for the design-build contract was announced a few weeks ago.) Whether we actually see heavy equipment moving in mid-2009, or whether this just marks the first part of the design-build project is not quite clear. I was also told that the contract to demolish the flyover ramps to and from RFK could be completed soon, and that demolition would happen not long after the contract is signed.

Plus, the final Environmental Impact Statement for South Capitol Street and the Douglass Bridge is expected in spring 2009; that's when we'll hear which of the four bridge designs has been chosen.

This fatally flawed project -- RFK ramp demolition, eastern SE Freeway boulevardization with traffic lights, and replacement with new elevated ramps -- needs to be stopped and seriously re-planned... as currently proposed the project fails to pass even a laugh test, as so with the controlled opposition that focus only upon the increased public utility of the connection to the Anacostia Freeway.

The Nature of DC Area "E" Organizations

From the Yahoo ICC list:

Re: Md.: Chevy Chase to retain firm to study Purple Line

Posted by: "C. P. Zilliacus" CPZ@OS2BBS.COM cpzilliacus

Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:12 am (PST)

The Town of Chevy Chase Town Council voted unanimously at a Thursday night meeting to hire a law firm on a pro bono basis to analyze a state report on the Purple Line.

The above is curious. If the firm is working for them on a pro bono (free) basis, do they really hire them? I don't know, as I am not a lawyer, and I don' t play one on T.V.

And any Maryland municipality that has the string Chevy Chase in its name is not exactly my idea of a place that needs free legal help anyway.

The council voted to hire Sidley Austin, a Washington, D.C., firm to examine the Alternatives Analysis/Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Purple Line released by the Maryland Transit Administration last month. The statement analyzed several options for the Purple Line mass transit project, which would connect Bethesda to New Carrollton.

This is even more interesting. Sidley Austin was very involved in efforts to disrupt and delay the DEIS and FEIS for the InterCounty Connector on behalf of Environmental Defense, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and others. Examples here
<http://www.mwcog. org/uploads/ committee- documents/ vV1eWFc200407261 53649.\pdf> ,
here
<http://maryland. sierraclub. org/Montgomery/ press/ICC_ 122006.htm>
and here
<http://www.arnoldpo rter.com/ resources/ documents/ Audubon-v- DOT.pdf>

Are they a CAVE (citizens against virtually everything) law firm?

Doug Willinger, have you run across this firm in your research into anti-highway activities elsewhere?

My reply:

I have not researched Sidley Austin, though in checking out their Wikipedia entry I found this:

Famous alumni

* President-elect Barack Obama was a summer associate in the Chicago office, but never joined the firm as a full-time associate. He met his wife, Michelle Obama (who was an associate at Sidley Austin at the time), while he was a summer associate at the firm. [8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sidley_Austin

I do not have time right now to continue this research, but have already researched that power house Pennsylvania Avenue law firm Covington and Burling and have turned up much (C&B just happens to be involved with practically everything I have blogged about.

http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2008/08/college-frats-as-satanic-romish-masonry.html

(In particular check out the links within the above article regarding Transport Network Subversion)

I suggest similar lines of research upon Sidley Austin, including its founders and their fraternal memberships.

FH Covington's frat happens to pop up in a new book about Illuminati government control discussed here.

http://continuingcounterreformation.blogspot.com/2008/11/explaining-people-like-fdr-etc.html

quote:

"Albert C Stevens (the respected historian) also makes this interesting connection between the Masonic Kappa Sigma society, founded in 1867 at the University of Virginia, and Skull and Bones. On page 355, Stevens states, “The badge [of Kappa Sigma] is an inverted crescent of gold, attached to and below which, by four of its points, is a five-pointed star [the pentagram] with the letters Kappa Sigma in its center…. At the top, on the crescent, a skull and bones are engraved; at the left, the crossed keys [a symbol of the pope’s power], and at the right, crossed swords.”[17] Is this all mere coincidence?"

I highly doubt that that Chevy Chase Country Club is the only example of a disproportionate influence of entities who control a particular piece of real estate.

Note for instance CUA, as well as that "Order of the Eastern Star" property that connects the I-95 PEPCO-B&O Routes, which just happens to be the entity which hosts the Committee of 100 Christmas Party (an organization that is notoriously anti grade separated highways).

http://cos-mobile.blogspot.com/2008/07/homeland-security-goal-would-be-better.html
http://wwwsouthcapitolstreet.blogspot.com/2008/09/appearances-of-power-ruminations.html

I suspect this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.

ECTC VC Marion Barry For Private Use Eminent Domain

Marion Barry, now a member of the Washington, D.C. City Council, and the Vice Chairman of the 1960s-70s organization, the 'Emergency Committee on the Transportation Crisis' (ECTC) which strictly opposed grade separated highways providing a vehicular alternative to surface streets, FAVORS the use of eminent domain for PRIVATE use, to the east of the Anacostia River.

http://anacostianow.blogspot.com/2008/10/eminent-domain.html

It was the ECTC which conducted protests over the demolition of 69 dwellings (reduced to 34 in 1970) in western Brookland, D.C. near the railroad tracks that run alongside Catholic University of America, for PUBLIC use eminent domain for the B&O Route low level North Central Freeway, which was to be the sole north-south northern radial such facility within Washington, D.C.

Union Station Centennial

Grand Arc Headpiece

http://urbanplacesandspaces.blogspot.com/2008/10/union-station-celebrates-its-100th.html

From 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday and Sunday, Amtrak will be displaying historic rail cars. Union Station Redevelopment Corporation will be displaying historic photos.

AP has a story, "Washington's Union Station celebrates 100 years."

Don't forget the in-process dissertation about Union Station by Bill Wright. He's a great writer. Check out his website.

Congress for 'New' Urbanism Seeks Eliminating SE Freeway and 11th Street Bridge

Advocates Removing Evacuation Route, if not increase vehicular - pedestrian conflict!

http://www.cnu.org/highways/freewayswithoutfutures

10. 11th Street Bridges and the Southeast Freeway, Washington D.C.

The Southeast Freeway is a 1.39-mile stretch of freeway running through Washington D.C. built in the late 1960s. It connects Interstate 395 to Interstate 295 at the 11th Street Bridges and was prevented from continuing west due to local opposition at the time. To address congestion and traffic routing problems at the interchange connecting the Southeast/Southwest Freeway and the Anacostia Freeway (I-295) over the Anacostia River, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) began investigating how to reconstruct and reconfigure the interchange at the 11th Street Bridges.

The Concerned Citizens of Eastern Washington, the Capitol Hill Restoration Society, some of whom were involved with the freeway revolt in the 1960s, began investigating the FHWA's preferred alternative in the Final Environmental Impact Assessment. Working with the transportation engineering firm Smart Mobility, Inc., the Capitol Hill Restoration Society discovered that, while the DC Department of Transportation states that there will not be an increase in capacity, the “preferred alternative … will result in a 50% increase of freeway capacity into central DC, even though this is contrary to the DC Comprehensive Plan.” This project has renewed discussions about improving surface-street and pedestrian connections in the near southeastern section of the district by removing the Southeast Freeway -- what the DC Office of Planning refers to as a “formidable psychological barrier.”

Actually the highway was not prevented from extending to the west, as that was built as the SW Freeway. Rather it was prevented from extending to the east and the north by canceling the East Leg, and afterwards via canceling the Barney Circle connector.

Washington Gateway Chock

New Demolition Special to Complicate I-395 Tunnel Extension; builds upon remaining sliver of land adjacent to New York Avenue, forcing tunnel directly beneath existing Avenue as it rises to overpass railroad

Number "17"

Project is in immediate need of cancellation, for blocking the remaining sliver of land allowing construction of the I-395 tunnel extension alongside New York Avenue - particularly along the highly useful O Street axis.

Project chocks the I-395 extension whether to the (eastern) New York Avenue corridor or the (northern) B&O corridor.

Project also conflicts with lowering the B&O railroad and the idea of covering said railroad as done via the Grand Arc.

Project testifies to the sheer incompetence of D.C. planning and the degree the authorities are beholden to medievalists that would chock publicly valuable evacuation route, disregarding civil defense (while nonetheless embracing 1984-esque domestic surveillance).

Is scheduled to start construction autumn 2008.

I-395 Tunnel Extension Superior Option
MRP Reality
MRP Reality- Washington 'Gateway' Project