[Mintwood-place] Some Proposals from the Adams Morgan Transportation Study

[Eddie Becker]

Dear Neighbors,  I attended a part of the Cities Transport study.  This is what I saw.


1.	Parking Meters on half of Mintwood along with most of the other blocks that feed into the
commercial parts of Columbia and 18th see
http://www.18amstudy.com/assets/adamsmorgan/documents/parking.pdf
Now I think these meters are for visitors, – if you have a residential sticker or temporary permit
you can ignore those meters – but I am getting that clarified.  

2)	They also suggest making the short leg of Biltmore Place - that comes off the Duke Ellington
Bridge, two-way - thereby extending 20th and/or 19th - direct into Calvert at the traffic light. 
Most of Biltmore remains one-way.  By doing this, you will bypass the congestion of having to go
back up to Biltmore to Cliffbourne or Columbia and then back onto Calvert to go over the bridge.
see the map at 
http://www.18amstudy.com/assets/adamsmorgan/documents/street_hierarchy.pdf

3)	Expanding Kalorama Park across that short leg of Kalorama Park onto that orphaned island
bounded by Columbia, 19th and Kalorama.  In addition, expand the little park between at Columbia
and Wyoming by closing the short part of Wyoming between 20th and Columbia.
http://www.18amstudy.com/assets/adamsmorgan/documents/street_hierarchy.pdf

4)	Improve Bus Service.  Besides promoting bus service to visitors, etc.  The study proposes the
extension of the 90's buses over the Duke Ellington Bridge.  Many of the 90s just go as far as the
bridge next to Mama Ayesha's instead of connecting with the Woodley Park/Zoo/Adams Morgan Red Line
metro.  For instance between 11pm and four in the morning weekends and weekdays – after all the
bars let out, there are 15 buses going north up 18th street - none connect to the Metro!  A
similar case can be made for people communing to work.  See the bus schedule at
http://www.wmata.com/timetables/dc/90-92.pdf Northbound page 4 & 5.  
  The new plan would have the buses continue to the Connecticut Avenue Metro and on to the Zoo
entrance.  Just by doing that there might be 8-10 more buses connecting Adams Morgan to the Metro
Red line.  
http://www.18amstudy.com/assets/adamsmorgan/documents/transit.pdf
A little history, the current route is a vestige from the late 1800's when the trolley went as far
as the end of Calvert Street.  This ended at Rock Creek.  The Calvert Bridge– now called Duke
Ellington was not built until 1922.  When the buses replaced the streetcars – they followed the
same routs.  See the Old trolley car map. 
http://www.dctrolley.org/dcstreet.htm
A photo of the still standing tottle house at Calvert Street with a trolley.  
Click on Calvert Bridge. 
http://www.dctrolley.org/dcstreet.htm
The tottle house is now used as a bathroom for the bus drivers.  There have been suggestions to
turn it into a small sandwich shop Café and gateway to Walter Pierce Park.  WMATA wants to cash in
on the real estate and recently proposed to sell it off to developers with the provision that the
bus turn around be incorporated into the design.