Photo by Andrew Bossi
Progress toward there actually being a streetcar on H Street NE continues tomorrow with the installation of head span wires. To facilitate this, there will be rolling closures along the busy corridor.
From DDOT:
Motorists should be aware that rolling closures up and down H Street, NE will be implemented to facilitate this installation. At approximately 7 a.m. on Wednesday, November 13, 2013, the construction team will begin installing each section of head span wire from the south side of H Street, NE to the north side, between 3rd Street, NE and 14th Street, NE. Each closure will take approximately 2-3 minutes, stopping traffic going eastbound and westbound as the construction team moves along the corridor hanging wire.
The thin, stainless-steel wire supports the contact wires that will power the streetcars. Once the head span wire has been installed and safe connections are made to Overhead Catenary System (OCS) hardware and poles, all lanes will be reopened. Contact wire will be strung in the next phase of work and an additional notice will be sent out at that time.
Meanwhile, the nonprofit H Street Main Street has released a letter they sent to DDOT director Terry Bellamy, praising the streetcar team for its engagement of the community.
“We’re very pleased that the city has continued its commitment to keeping us informed and engaging with our community as they continue construction of the streetcar line and plan future corridor improvement projects,” Anwar Saleem, H Street Main Street executive director, said in a release. “By taking input from local stakeholders and businesses, the city is ensuring they proceed in the most efficient and least disruptive way possible.”
Here’s a portion of the letter:
On behalf of H Street Main Street and the businesses we support, I would like to thank you for hosting a Business Focus Group Meeting on Thursday, October 31, 2013 at the H Street Country Club. This meeting represented the second time the District of Columbia Department of Transportation and the DC Streetcar Team have engaged businesses along our corridor in the past month to update us on construction impacts and future operations of DC Streetcar. You provided a forum for business stakeholders to communicate their questions and concerns, as well as document them for consideration in future planning for the corridor. Representatives from DDOT gave a detailed overview of the agency’s citywide efforts are to coordinate and manage increasing freight and delivery needs for our growing city. This enhances the ongoing engagement that the DC Streetcar Communications Team has conducted with businesses and residents along our corridor for the past two years.
