Via NoMaBID.

Via NoMaBID.

President Barack Obama and VP Joe Biden are currently eating at Shake Shack in Dupont Circle with four construction workers involved with the First Street NE project, which is close to completion. Why not at a restaurant on, oh say, First Street NE? Only the Secret Service knows.

The overhaul of that stretch of NoMa cost $9.1 million, including $6.9 million in federal aid. “Over the last week, the President has highlighted the crucial role that increasing investment in re-building America’s infrastructure can play in relieving congestion, rebuilding communities, and creating and attracting the jobs of the future,” a pool report points out.

“If Congress does not act by the end of the summer we could have hundreds of projects like this stop,” Obama said. “It is a no brainier for Congress to do what it is supposed to do.”

(Maybe the Shake Shack location he’s eating at could use some federal funding. As reporter Russ Ptacek points out, it was recently cited for mold.)

After more than a year, First Street NE is once again open to two-way traffic. A protected cycletrack, with green paint and low barriers to prevent this from happening, is also complete. Other parts of the project include an “upgraded underground infrastructure, added stormwater catch basins, bio-retention stormwater swales, realigned sidewalks, enlarged tree boxes, new crosswalks, new traffic lights and street lamps,” according to NoMa BID.

“First Street will now be a wonderful new space for pedestrians, cyclists, dogs and drivers, and we are excited about the great new green spaces and cycling amenities that are included,” NoMa BID president Robin-Eve Jasper said in a release. “I’d like to extend a special ‘Thank You’ to DDOT for compressing this project to just one year from its original two-year timeline. With free outdoor WiFi, our new sculpture, and the coming improved plazas and parks, NoMa will soon have a bevy of great new public spaces.”

An official celebration is planned for next Friday. Here’s hoping that it doesn’t have to double as a car-shaming.

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