Adams Morgan residents on the streets surrounding the new Harris Teeter received official notice at the end of last week that the District Department of Transportation is changing the flow of traffic to accommodate the anticipated increase in cars on the surrounding residential streets. As it stands right now, all three streets that bound the block containing the store are two-way thoroughfares. As of January 21, they’ll all become one-way. As detailed in the letter:

1. 1600 block of Kalorama Street, will become one way, west bound, from 16^th Street to 17^th Street;
2. 2400 block fo 17^th Street, will become one way, north bound, from Kalorama Street to Euclid Street;
3. 1600 block of Euclid Street, will become one way, east bound, from 17^th Street to 16^th Street.

Signs warning of the coming changes are to be posted in the neighborhood beginning today. The new pattern should help keep things moving on what were already fairly narrow two-way streets on the surrounding blocks — though there’s sure to be head-scratching on Euclid, where traffic will run one way for a block and a half east of Columbia Road, two-way for a single block, and then back to one-way again until it hits 16^th. DDOT said they would monitor the effects of the changes and make adjustments where necessary.

The letter also states that the changes are “due to the opening in March, 2008” of the store. With DDOT taking action to re-route traffic, perhaps this is finally a firm date (last time we reported on it, the opening was set for February). After seeing delay after delay, neighborhood residents probably aren’t holding their breath.