With just over a year until the city’s new H Street NE streetcars are supposed to start rollin’, the D.C. Department of Transportation is really getting down to business. Last week it tested the first three streetcars to see that they could run on emergency battery power, and D.C. put in a bid for two more streetcars with a Portland-based manufacturer.

Today DDOT put out two simulation videos showing what the streetcars will look like when they approach and cross the Hopscotch Bridge. The videos, which are posted below, are the first visual representation of what the streetcar tracks will look like crossing the bridge towards a Union Station stop, how the streetcars will share the road with vehicular traffic and what the much-feared overheard wires will look like.

Obviously, these are just simulations. For one, how cars will interact with the streetcars will certainly be an issue of interest. While researching the city’s old streetcar network a few weeks ago, I noticed plenty of news articles about cars and streetcars colliding. This isn’t an idle concern—with only five streetcars expected for the H Street NE line, one run-in with an errant driver could be a problem. Additionally, drivers can often be stuck in their ways—just see how many still assume that bike lanes double as parking spots.

Finally, it’s tough to believe a streetcar simulation that doesn’t have at least one cyclist riding into the tracks and wiping out. Yes, it happens often.

Still, this is an exciting hint of what’s to come. If you want more details on the system’s progress, DDOT is holding a quarterly meeting today at Spingarn High School (2500 Benning Road, NE) at 6:30 p.m.