Challenge
Washington, D.C. has made strides to develop an accessible and connected bicycle network across the City to connect all Wards to points of interest, employment centers, and neighborhoods. A critical missing link in that connectivity was between Downtown and Northern Virginia, across the National Mall.
Solution
The 15th Street Bicycle Safety Improvements project designed a two-way cycle track on the west side of 15th Street. These improvements required design solutions that are consistent with the historic and ceremonial character of the National Mall and satisfy the National Park Service, the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission on Fine Arts, and the State Historic Preservation Officer. Kittelson led the final design effort and provided input into the conceptual design and function of the proposed bicycle facility.
The Outcome
Continuing DC's Bike Network Across the National Mall
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) constructed the cycle track across the National Mall within the existing street, installing new floating bus platforms, and modifying the existing signals to accommodate new bike movements. The bike lane connects the existing cycle track terminus at the White House (Pennsylvania Avenue NW) to the proposed cycle track along Ohio Drive SW at the Tidal Basin, where the trail continues across the 14th Street Bridge at the Jefferson Memorial to Northern Virginia.
