Traffic, Water Discussed at ANC’s May 1 Meeting

It wouldn’t be an Advisory Neighborhood Council meeting without a long discussion of parking and traffic flow issues. The monthly Georgetown-Burleith ANC 2E meeting Monday, May 1, did not disappoint. Especially with Michael Lowder, director of the District Department of Transportation’s Office of Intelligence, Security and Emergency Response making a personal appearance.

Lowder outlined various upcoming projects, including the May 2 launch of the Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge renovation, which will be disruptive to traffic coming into Georgetown on M Street for the next year or more. He is hoping Mayor Muriel Bowser will highlight LED lighting in her 2017 budget.

Also discussed were two DC Water projects that will impact several neighborhoods over the summer and into 2018. One is the sewer rehabilitation project, beginning this week, that will encompass a quadrant bordered by most of 37th Street (in front of Georgetown University) and Wisconsin Avenue from the waterfront up to O Street. The project to completely rebuild the up- and downstream structures of the sewer system along the Foundry Branch and Capital Crescent Trail will be felt mainly by bikers and hikers.

Looming on the horizon is a lawsuit against Washington Gas being developed by consumer groups concerned about unannounced and inappropriate removals and displacement of gas meters and underground pipelines with little notice (see story below).