Rubber sidewalk slabs have been installed on top of tree roots on Rhode Island Ave. NW. Photo by Sommer Mathis.

There’s a stretch of sidewalk on Rhode Island Ave., between 9th and 7th streets NW, that has long been difficult to navigate. The root system belonging to a series of large trees planted there has, over the years, led to major cracks in the concrete that continued to be pushed upward, causing something like an obstacle course to form. There’d be several feet of flat sidewalk, and then, bam, you needed to climb up a foot or two of twisted tree root, broken slabs and maybe even a layer of hastily applied blacktop over that. It was difficult enough to manage for the able-bodied; forget about it if you have trouble walking or, even worse, get around in a wheelchair.

A few weeks ago, the District Dept. of Transportation installed new, rubber-based sidewalk slabs over the area where the tree roots live, and suddenly, the going has gotten much easier.

Rubberized sidewalk pieces are only in use in a small handful of areas in the District, though they’ve been in place in some cases for at least a year, according to DDOT spokesperson John Lisle.

“The idea is that they flex over the roots, so instead of cracking, they bend,” Lisle said. “You can leave the tree alone.”

Other spots where partial rubber sidewalks have been installed include Rhode Island Ave. between Florida and North Capitol, and 7th St. SE between C St. and Pennsylvania Ave.

Residents with unruly tree root situations on their blocks can request that DDOT take a look and consider installing rubber slabs, though Lisle said the city is more likely to consider them when they are already working on a streetscape improvement project in the area.