Another Fenty Boondoggle?

Washington, D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty's ceremony on project that has its northwestern end overlap with USNCPC's recent I-395 Washington Channel Tunnel

a revised version of my message to this project's developer's web site:

From the illustrations on your web site it appears that the northernmost portion
encroaches upon U.S. National Capital Planning Commission's proposed I-395 tunnel.

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-i-395-gateway-if-its-coordinated.html

What consideration has been given to ensuring that the development does not impact the tunnel?

Sincerely

Douglas Willinger
A Trip Within The Beltway

The numerous 'planning' faux pas with jamming the nearby Capital Square townhouses a mere 16 or so feet from the SWS Freeway retaining wall, and the Golden Rule senior citizens' apartment building in the path of the not yet employed northbound I-395 Center Leg Tunnel on ramp can only make one suspect the worst- that the building to the left will be driven into the ground with the utter contempt for NCPC's Washington Channel Tunnel, as much as Nationals Stadium did to the route of the previously proposed South Capitol Street corridor tunnel.

Apparently Washington D.C. is utterly lacking in any sort of prevailing political order worthy of displaying architectural tools as a logo.

See more:
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-i-395-gateway-if-its-coordinated.html

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/search/label/Demolition%20Specials

The Fallacy of NOT Building the Diagonal South Leg Tunnel

Pics of the Reflecting Pool, July 2010; note the spots of smaller trees along each side at about the location of this 'diagonal' route I-695 tunnel.

Adopted from:

http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/i-695-south-leg_18.html

In 1966, a new design for Washington, D.C.'s South Leg segment of the Inner Loop Freeway appeared. It featured a single continuous, 5,600 foot long West Potomac Park tunnel, constructed by the cut and cover method, upon a diagonal routing fully east of Lincoln Memorial traffic circle and partially beneath the Reflecting Pool. Because of its continuous length, this was the one option featuring ceiling ducts for a ventilation system. Under this plan, the surface roads in West Potomac Park were to be removed.

This design, initially pursued as a full tunnel alternative to the previous design, was approved by the National Capital Planning Commission on September 15, 1966, and recommended to the D.C. Board of Commissioners for implementation. However, this diagonal route tunnel proposal came under criticism by the Fine Arts Commission at a meeting on September 20, 1967, for reason of its destruction of two spots of mature trees that flank the Reflecting Pool, which would require more than a generation for transplanted replacements to grow to the same size as the removed trees. Hence, the D.C. Department of Public Works would back away from this design at a closed door, Tuesday meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission, reported by a Jack Eisen article in The Washington Post on October 30, 1969. Accordingly, for reason of entirely avoiding the trees along the Reflecting Pool, the earlier plan, regained its earlier status as the largely officially preferred plan. Ironically, while this tunnel was not built, the trees it would have displaced and replaced along the north side of the Reflecting Pool were displaced and replaced for other reasons.

New Hampshire Avenue B&O-PEPCO Connection

Pics of the New Hampshire Avenue area portion of the inside the Beltway I-95 route between its PEPCO and B&O segments

New Hampshire Avenue at the southern end of the PEPCO corridor


New Hampshire Avenue at the northern end of its commercial strip

This entire commercial strip from the southern end of the PEPCO corridor to the MD-DC line is about 1,600 in length and encompases about 13 retail strip properties, including the auto parts store that was originally built as a supermarket.

A recent planning effort envisions redeveloping this strip with far greater density- a concept compatible with the highway, as the segment would be depressed and hence accomdatable for a deck atop.

Just inside Washington, D.C., the route would displace about 27 brick houses- the number being this low because of the large open space of the immediately adajacent field.

This field is a part of the property of the Masonic and Eastern Star Home at 6000 New Hampshire Avenue, reportedly built in 1905.

The freeway would be depressed, would not require demolishing either of the two main structures, and could be constructed as a cut and cover tunnel in order to preserve the field.

My studies of the history of the official inside the Beltway highway planning have yet to reveal any openly stated concerns by any Masonic Order, including Eastern Star regarding the route nor the idea of a cut and cover tunnel which, AFIAK, was not proposed anywhere along New Hampshire Avenue.

Inside The Beltway Wisconsin Avenue Grade Separation!

Now being officially proposed:
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/exec/brac/pdf/mcdot_crossingproject-alt4-gradesep_diamondinterchange-051110.pdf

Would lower a portion of Route 355 Wisconsin Avenue.

How about one for the intersection to the south- perhaps with some urban deck?!

More on that here at Greater, Greater, Washington

Rhode Island Avenue Area Encroachment

New development project encroaches upon B&O Metropolitan Branch 'Grand Arc' Corridor


New project with northernmost (Building 2) and METRO Garage structures definitely encroaching upon corridor right of way.

More on this project here.

About Grand Arc

A Telling Indifference

Freeway cover (otherwise known as lids caps or decks) can block noise and pollution and reclaim land, yet the powers that be would rather push the burden away- as the Washington D.C. area reveals

As a historian of the Washington, D.C. freeway system, having made numerous observations as these, I have found surprisingly little if anything about the position of the two most important holders of property along D.C. I-95's most logical route: Catholic University of American, and the Masonic Eastern Star Order.

In particular I have yet to see anything about their position on the concept of the segments of freeway alongside the RR next to the former's campus, nor directly through the latter's Home property at 6000 New Hampshire Avenue NE, being covered - effectively reclaiming land providing space for various local amenities - while suppressing noise and potentially with emissions, particularly if properly ventilated and filtrated.

1966 Supplementary Study North Central Freeway alongside Catholic University of America


Note how this shows the area alongside the main CUA campus as covered as far north as Taylor Street.

1971 North Central Freeway

Note how this extends the cover further south to Rhode Island Avenue yet deletes the northern segment alongside the main CUA campus. While I have found a reference to the CUA heirarchey being officially neutral about the North Central Freeway itself, I have yet to see any reference to any such position on the cover, and its disappearance in the area alongside the main CUA campus.

1971 Northeastern Freeway PEPCO-B&O Route through the property of the Masonic Eastern Star Home at 6000 New Hampshire Avenue.

1971-1973 I-95 PEPCO Overview
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2006/11/pepcobo-i-95.html

1973 I-95 PEPCO Maryland Report
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2009/06/1973-pepco-i-95-extension-inside.html

I have yet to find anything about Masonic Eastern Star, say demanding that this segment be built as a cut and cover tunnel, prior to the cancellation of this 'PEPCO-B&O' route by Maryland, announced in July 1973

Stopping D.C. I-95 had its undeniable spill-over effect upon that segment of the I-495 Capital Beltway where the consequently missing I-95 gap was re-signed onto; that segment includes the Beltway's southern crossing of the Potomac River: the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. During the 1990s planning started upon the project to replace the existing 6 lane bridge with a pair of 6 lane bridges with corresponding wider approaches. As mitigation, this project was to include a cover atop a portion of this I-495 approach in Virginia; this cover or lid or cap was to be known as the Washington Street Urban Deck.

I would though find yet another expression of indifference to highway mitigation within the political halls at Alexandria, Virginia with their 11th hour deletion of most of the Washington Street Urban Deck that had been proposed to cover a 1,100 foot long segment of the I-495 Capital Beltway there.

Alexandria, Virginia Backroom Sell Out
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-could-have-been-said-backroom.html

What Others in Alexandria Got From Stealing the Urban Deck
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-others-got-from-siphoning-urban.html

Rubber Stamp U.S. NCPC March 2001
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-others-got-from-siphoning-urban.html

Rubber Stamp U.S. NCPC November 2001
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/03/how-things-went-at-us-nati_117295465376800441.html

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge Stakeholders' Participation Panel on the Route 1 interchange and the Washington Street Urban Deck on August 26, 2000, overwhelmingly REJECTS proposal to shorten the deck
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/02/spps-august-26-2000-rejection-of-deck_13.html


The Alexandria City Council Lies Through Its Teeth- pretends that the August 26, 2000 meeting never occurred
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/02/what-happened-at-alexandria-city-hall.html

Promote a Good Idea- Alexandria then goes in reverse
http://wwwtripwithinthebeltway.blogspot.com/2007/02/alexandria-chop-job-on-urban-deck.html

The Shrinking Washington Street Urban Deck


My Alexandria Orb Proposal

Alexandria Orb brochure
showing successive shrinkage of the proposed Washington Street Urban Deck

reverse

The Alexandria Orb proposal was page one news, December 18, 2000 upon the Alexandria Journal and the Fairfax Journal.

Yet reaction within Alexandria, from my own observations were either of support or a stony silence- the latter tending to include the entire Alexandria City Council.

All of them would simply rubber stamp the deletion of some 80% of the proposed Washington Street Urban Deck, leaving places such as a restored Freedmen's Cemetery directly next to not parkland but instead an exposed 12+ lane segment of I-495: a decision that would be incredibly supported by every single established organization within Alexandria, accepted without any apparent debate, nor discussion, and all accepted unanimously.

AFIAK, publically, neither of the two most important property holders along this route, that of the George Washington Masonic Tower -- Alexandria's tallest buildings festooned with a giant compass and square -- and of St Mary's, immediately next to the I-495 approach to the Wilson Bridge[s] expressed any apparent interest in these decisions.

Nonetheless, all of this without debate, unanimous sort of political behavior may bespeak the dynamics of being yoked via membership into such fraternal entities, such as those found within the vast empire of organized Masonry.

Just shut up and be another jolly good fellow (yes man),
given an overpriced job as reward for loyalty and mediocrity.

George Washington Masonic Memorial,
Alexandria, Virginia's tallest building

1952 proposal in area of Alexandria, Virginia,
with George Washington Masonic Memorial Tower at left