Photo by Aziz .
Morning, Washington. Today many of you found yourselves taking a slightly different route to work, whether by hook or by crook. The District Department of Transportation has done an admirable job over the last few weeks of warning drivers that changes were in the works to high-density routes. This morning’s commute will tell whether those advance efforts paid off.
The biggest change came to the intersection of New York Avenue, Florida Avenue, and First Street Northeast — you know, Wendy’s Triangle — where DDOT changed traffic patterns to implement a virtual traffic circle. In place of the old traffic dodge that required a driver heading east on Florida Avenue to go through a turnabout to continue east on New York Avenue, a more sensible system of one-way streets and right-hand turns has been installed. At least, it seems more sensible, judging from the video. Any drivers out there prefer the old dispensation?
Other changes that may have added to commutes this morning include alterations to the 295 bridge and the Key Bridge. Really significant delays look to be in the works for people using the 14th Street bridge, which has begun phase 2 of its redevelopment, according to ABC7.
Nobody Does It Like Jimmy Dean: Sad news from the Commonwealth today: Honky-tonk super-star and king of breakfast Jimmy Dean has died. Jimmy Dean and the Texas Wildcats were staples on the Mid-Atlantic country scene, much in the same way that his sausage links became breakfast staples for a grateful nation. He was the host of a D.C. radio show, Town and Country Time, and he introduced the nation to Patsy Cline. Later in life, his Jimmy Dean Sausage Company was sold to Sara Lee, who dropped him as a spokesman in 2004 — the same year he released his autobiography. He served as dean for the Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries.
Independence Comes to College Park: ABC7 reports that a rare original edition of the Declaration of Independence will visit the University of Maryland in advance of National History Day. There are a number of extant printings, and at least one historian argues that no single copy can claim pre-eminence as the Declaration. The edition visiting College Park belongs to Hollywood’s Norman Lear. Incidentally, it is difficult to tell on what day National History Day actually falls — it appears to be a poorly named history and education festival.
Briefly Noted: Unidentified pedestrian struck by SUV in Silver Spring . . . Capital Area Food Bank commissioned a hunger density map for the Washington area . . . Man and woman shot on Benning Road Southeast . . . Yesterday saw the hottest weather since August 2009 . . . Maryland State Police superintendent David Mitchell to head University of Maryland police force.
This Day in DCist: Six Flags surrendered to bankruptcy and the son of the Holocaust Memorial Museum shooter James Von Brunn spoke out about his experience.
