Unlike the L Street bike lane, the M Street track will be buffered by parked cars. (Photo by Rich Renomeron)

At last, an answer.

Construction on the long-awaited M Street cycletrack will begin on “or about” November 25, weather permitting, according to a release from the District Department of Transportation. Construction should take four to six weeks to complete, “depending on weather conditions.”

“If it rains or snows installation activities will likely shutdown for the day and may delay the schedule,” the release states.

In May, it was announced that construction of the mile-long, buffered bike track would begin in August. Fast forward through the debate with a strip club and a church, the latter of which won the right not to have the cycletrack take over nearby on-street parking, and in November there was still no bike lane. DDOT officials told WAMU that an “environmental review” was the hold up, while Washingtonian was told it was the rain.

Here’s exactly how the cycletrack will work when it’s completed:

The cycle track, with a buffer of parked cars and flexible posts, will span over a mile on the north side of M Street NW between 14th and 28th Streets and will serve as the westbound compliment to the eastbound cycle track on L Street NW. On the 1500 block of M Street NW, the lane will be installed as a “traditional” bike lane. Green paint will also be used for much of the block to increase the visibility of the lane.

So will the cycletrack actually be done by the end of December? It would feel like a Christmas miracle at this point.