The D.C. Department of Transportation is holding a project update public meeting March 22, 2011 from 6-8 PM at the Banneker Community Center at 2500 Georgia Avenue, NW to discuss the ongoing reconstruction of Sherman Avenue NW.
Bound roughly between W Street and Park Road NW, Sherman currently acts as a four-lane arterial road that runs parallel to Georgia Avenue to the east and connects car traffic from 6th Street NW and downtown to New Hampshire Avenue NW and from there to Maryland.
Currently, the road has timed signalization during peak travel hours allowing automobile traffic to move through the areas relatively quickly; however, it creates a less-than-hospitable pedestrian and bicyclist environment. Sidewalk widths along much of the corridor average 3 feet wide. Bike lanes are nonexistent and because the car lanes are more narrow to accommodate two traffic lanes and a parking lane, there is little room for cars traveling at relatively high city driving speeds to pass bicyclists safely.
According to the project page, the $13 million reconstruction project aims to change the nature of the street from a purely commuter-oriented Georgia Avenue bypass to a community street with improve pedestrian safety through the reduction of travel lanes, the addition of tree boxes in the center median and on the sidewalks; widening of sidewalks and providing wider lanes to accommodate bicyclists. The project also hopes to enhance the appearance of the neighborhood through aesthetic improvements.
Bound roughly between W Street and Park Road NW, Sherman currently acts as a four-lane arterial road that runs parallel to Georgia Avenue to the east and connects car traffic from 6th Street NW and downtown to New Hampshire Avenue NW and from there to Maryland.
Currently, the road has timed signalization during peak travel hours allowing automobile traffic to move through the areas relatively quickly; however, it creates a less-than-hospitable pedestrian and bicyclist environment. Sidewalk widths along much of the corridor average 3 feet wide. Bike lanes are nonexistent and because the car lanes are more narrow to accommodate two traffic lanes and a parking lane, there is little room for cars traveling at relatively high city driving speeds to pass bicyclists safely.
According to the project page, the $13 million reconstruction project aims to change the nature of the street from a purely commuter-oriented Georgia Avenue bypass to a community street with improve pedestrian safety through the reduction of travel lanes, the addition of tree boxes in the center median and on the sidewalks; widening of sidewalks and providing wider lanes to accommodate bicyclists. The project also hopes to enhance the appearance of the neighborhood through aesthetic improvements.