Anacostia Waterfront

Today, South Capitol Street lacks any characteristics of its historic and gateway appeal. The transportation infrastructure is in poor condition and does not connect pedestrians, bicyclists, transit riders, or motorists to established or emerging destinations. Realizing the vision for the Anacostia Waterfront includes transforming South Capitol Street from its current configuration of an urban highway into a grand gateway boulevard into Washington, DC. The District Department of Transportation began the planning process to re-create the corridor in 2002.

The project has four main goals:

• Improving mobility for all modes of travel: critical roadway connections are missing and facilities for pedestrians and bicyclists are lacking.
• Improving safety: the design and deteriorating condition of infrastructure in the corridor creates the need for improvements.
• Improving accessibility or the ability to reach destinations easily: grade separations and intersection configurations limit community access.
• Supporting economic development: development in the area will add thousands of jobs and create new residential neighborhoods.

The South Capitol Street Corridor is a five-mile corridor that runs from the DC-Maryland line in Ward 8 to the US Capitol in Ward 6. The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, otherwise known as the South Capitol Street Bridge, was built in 1949. With the exception of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge rehabilitation and lowering in 2007, no significant changes have been made to the corridor since the 1970s.

• The main improvement will be the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge. The new arched bascule bridge, which would include an opening span for the existing navigation channel, will be an architecturally significant structure for the Anacostia Waterfront. [Note: The new streetcar line will not cross the river on South Capitol Street.]
• The eastern section of South Capitol Street in Ward 8 would provide an at-grade traffic circle at Suitland Parkway; a reconstructed Suitland Parkway/I-295 interchange; and a new interchange at Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Suitland Parkway.
• The western section of South Capitol Street in Ward 6 will be completed as a six-lane boulevard similar to South Capitol Street near Nationals Ballpark. It will feature an at-grade traffic oval connecting South Capitol Street, Potomac Avenue, and Q Street, SW. The new boulevard will have a new streetscape and improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

The Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) will be circulated in July 2009. The Record of Decision (ROD) is expected by fall 2009. A preliminary design is anticipated to be completed by fall 2010.

Yes. The South Capitol Street Corridor will be a green urban corridor. Green roadway design principles will be used to improve water quality in the Anacostia watershed by reducing untreated storm water runoff and providing on-site filtration. Design features such as subsurface storm water and sewer systems will improve water quality by intercepting pollutants from the streets and preventing them from entering the Anacostia River and its tributaries.

The 11^th Street Bridges, in southeastern Washington, D.C., are vital links across the Anacostia River. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) plans to rebuild these bridges to provide a safer and more efficient transportation system. The freeway bridge will connect the Anacostia Freeway and the Southeast Freeway, providing the missing movements to and from the Anacostia Freeway to the north. The local bridge will provide a neighborhood level connection between the historic neighborhoods in Anacostia and Capitol Hill, including the Navy Yard, the Marine Barracks, and Anacostia Park.

This project has four main goals:

• Reduce congestion and improve the mobility of traffic across the Anacostia River on the 11^th Street Bridges and on the local streets in the area;
• Increase the safety of vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic;
• Replace deficient infrastructure and roadway design; and
• Provide an alternative evacuation route and routes for security movements in and out of the nation's capital.

The project will replace the existing structurally obsolete bridges across the Anacostia River. New ramps east of the river will connect both directions of the Anacostia Freeway with the cross-river bridges. This will eliminate the need for freeway traffic to cut through neighborhood streets and return to the freeway. Separate bridges for arterial local traffic and freeway traffic will also eliminate the dangerous merging and weaving maneuvers that are currently required when local traffic is forced to use the freeway to cross the river. Wide shared-use paths for easy walking, jogging, and bicycling will tie into trails on both sides of the river. The planned streetcar will be able to cross the river on the arterial local bridge linking MLK Jr. Avenue and 11^th Street.

Reconstruction of the bridges and associated interchange improvements is anticipated to begin in mid-2009 and be completed by the end of 2013. Travel lanes will remain open during construction. When construction is completed, local traffic will be separated from commuter traffic and the new bridges will accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists and future transit.

The design-build method provides increased opportunities for innovation and flexibility, and allows fast-track construction, where construction can begin almost immediately after the project is awarded. Design-build is a process in which design and construction are performed by an integrated team of a construction contractor and designer (design-build team). It differs from the traditional design-bid-build method, where DDOT prepares detailed design and specifications for the project, and then awards the project to the lowest bidder for construction.

Design-Build-to-Budget is a refinement of the Design-Build method that is used for projects with a constrained budget. Design-Build teams are given maximum flexibility to use innovative methods to meet project goals. Proposals from design-build teams are judged on how they maximize investment and meet project goals within a fixed budget.

The District is using a two-phase procurement process to select a design-build contractor to deliver the 11^th Street Bridges Replacement Project. The first phase was the Request for Qualifications. Based on the qualifications submitted, DDOT short-listed five teams and issued a Request for Proposals to those teams. The District will award a design-build contract to the team offering the District the best value. The successful team is anticipated to be under contract by early summer 2009.

The District boundary of the Anacostia Waterfront stretches from the Potomac River to the Maryland border. This seven-mile urban waterfront weaves through Wards 5, 6, 7, and 8 and is home to nearly 25 percent of the District's population.

Yes. It is called the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan. It evolved from an unprecedented partnership between 20 federal and District agencies that own or control land along the Anacostia River to transform the Anacostia River and its shoreline into a world class waterfront offering more options for sustainable living, work and relaxation for D.C. residents and visitors alike.

The 20-year plan calls for more than $10 billion worth of public and private investment - open spaces and new parks, biking and walking trails, transportation and environmental improvements, housing, retail, office space and places for people simply to meet, relax, enjoy nature and the heritage of waterfront neighborhoods - along the Anacostia River's shores. Revitalizing the Anacostia Waterfront will also reconnect District residents to the river.

The plan calls for up to 20,000 units of new housing and 20 million square feet of new commercial, retail, and service-oriented space. That adds up to an estimated $1.5 billion in additional tax revenues for the District and thousands of new jobs created. In addition, there is planned more than 100 acres of public park space as well as 20 miles of a continuous Anacostia Riverwalk, a trail along both banks of the river that will serve pedestrians, cyclists, roller skaters, and wheelchair users.

The Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan seeks to create a waterfront where both sides of the river prosper from the social and economic benefits flowing from a revitalized waterfront. This means the Anacostia River and its rebuilt crossings at South Capitol Street and 11th Street will become a unifying force, bringing diverse communities together and connecting them to a common asset.

Currently, more than 50,000 people live within a 10-minute walk of the Anacostia River, but there are no sidewalks to take them there. The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has taken the lead to upgrade the transportation network in the Anacostia Waterfront area, launching projects that will make it easier for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders to reach the waterfront's many attractions.

Yes. Many contractors abide by "First Source" hiring for District residents.

Yes. The restoration of the Anacostia River and its tributaries and improved storm water management are central to sustainable development on the Anacostia Waterfront. Restoration work will not be accomplished all at once, but instead it will take place gradually over time. Led by the District Department of the Environment (DDOE), the District's goal is to restore the Anacostia to a fishable and swimmable river by the year 2032.