What is an Environmental Assessment?

 

Will the proposed changes affect traffic and congestion in nearby areas?

 

How is this study different than the previous ones?

 

How do I participate?

 

How will cyclists and pedestrians be considered in this study?

 

What federal, state and local agencies will be involved in the EA’s development?

 

Will this project include a bus transit support facility?

 

Why a bus facility? Embedded in this response is also an explanation why the elevation of Southeast Boulevard is being raised.

 

Why are there connections at 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE?

 

Why a four-lane cross section on Southeast Boulevard?

 

Why is there a need for increasing access to the waterfront?

 

The community needs more housing and green space.

 

Need for improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

 

Concern about potential traffic, air quality, and noise impacts on the adjacent neighborhood from proposed improvements, especially related to the bus transit support facility and raising the profile of Southeast Boulevard.

 

Concern for impacts on cultural and natural resources at Anacostia River waterfront.

 

Desire to maintain existing neighborhood character.

 


What is an Environmental Assessment?

An Environmental Assessment (EA) is prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 to determine if a federal action significantly affects the environment, requiring a more-detailed Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), or if a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) can be issued.

The document describes the project’s purpose and need, various alternatives considered, their potential environmental impacts and respective mitigation methods. The EA process provides significant public involvement and agency coordination opportunities.

For more details about an EA process in general, click here.

Will the proposed changes affect traffic and congestion in nearby areas?

Changes to Southeast Boulevard and Barney Circle may affect traffic in surrounding areas. As part of this EA, advanced multimodal simulation and modeling software — as well as conversations with public, other stakeholders, and agencies — will assess each alternative’s positive and negative impacts. Results will be shared with the public for feedback and official comment.

How is this study different than the previous ones?

An EA was initiated in 2013, but paused before the identification of a project purpose and need. Previous studies, including the Office of Planning Study in 2015 and a DDOT Feasibility Study in 2016 built momentum on overall project goals and objectives while narrowing down the potential “universe” of alternatives to be considered in this EA.

This EA will identify a preferred alternative and complete the federal environmental review process required to further advance the project to implementation.

See more-detailed information in the Corridor History Section of the Overview Page

How do I participate?

There are numerous ways to stay informed about and involved with the project. To start, visit the Get Involved page to sign up for notifications!

How will cyclists and pedestrians be considered in this study?

All transportation modes will be considered in the alternatives development process. This EA will examine biking and walking options for Southeast Boulevard, Barney Circle and connections to adjacent trails and roads, building on prior studies.

What federal, state and local agencies will be involved in the EA’s development?

Some of the agencies that DDOT will be coordinating with to prepare the EA include but are not limited to:

  • DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA)
  • DC Department of Health (DOH)
  • DC Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)
  • DC Department of General Services (DGS)
  • DC Department of the Environment (DDOE)
  • DC Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (DCHSEMA)
  • DC Housing Authority (DCHA)
  • DC Office of Planning (OP)
  • DC Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED)
  • DC Public Schools (DCPS)
  • DC State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO)
  • DC Water
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
  • Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
  • Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG)
  • National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC)
  • National Marine Fisheries Service
  • National Parks Service (NPS)
  • US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)
  • US Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
  • US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
  • Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

Will this project include a bus transit support facility?

This EA will evaluate options for a bus transit support facility by studying feasibility as well as possible environmental impacts such as congestion, air quality, noise and visual impacts, among others.

 

Why a bus facility?  Embedded in this response is also an explanation why the elevation of Southeast Boulevard is being raised.

One purpose of the project is to establish neighborhood connectivity to the Anacostia River waterfront. Raising the boulevard’s elevation to meet L Street is critical for achieving this purpose because it facilitates crossing of the CSX tracks with only one ramp (from the new boulevard elevation down to M Street elevation after crossing the CSX tracks) rather than two ramps (the first to get from the existing boulevard elevation up to an overpass of the CSX tracks, and the second to travel back down to M Street elevation after crossing the tracks). Raising of the boulevard’s elevation was a consistent design feature in the 2015 DC Office of Planning Southeast Boulevard Planning Study and received support from ANC 6B.

Raising the grade of the boulevard can be achieved with fill or structure. Making up the grade using fill has been determined to be infeasible due to logistical and practical difficulty with finding enough quantity of fill. Due to the costs associated with a structure, DDOT is pursuing bus transit support facility options to achieve cost efficiencies by making use of both below-grade and above-grade space, while meeting a pressing need to support local bus service. Currently there is documented demand for new support facilities to provide new or expanded service. In addition, the District experiences high operating costs as a result of long ‘deadhead’ times (buses not-in-service going to and from maintenance and storage facilities). Centrally located support facilities are important for cost savings and improved service.

A bus transit support facility could be provided at Southeast Boulevard that takes advantage of the location and topography of the study area such that its physical, visual, traffic, and other impacts are minimal to the adjacent residential neighborhood to the north of the study area.

Why are there connections at 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE?

Extension of 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets was included in the project concepts that were developed in coordination with ANC 6B and other members of the local community as part of the 2015 Southeast Boulevard Planning Study. In all three project concepts, the Capitol Hill neighborhood fabric, and its street and block system, were extended south toward the Anacostia River, ending at the boulevard through the creation of additional development parcels within the existing freeway right-of-way (connections across the CSX tracks and down to the Boathouse Row waterfront were provided for pedestrians and cyclists only at the ends of 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE via stairs and ramps). A number of citywide and local planning documents, including the Comprehensive Plan, the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan, and Sustainable DC, among many others, provided guidance for developing those concepts. In particular, guidance from the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative encourages the extension of the street grid to the waterfront.

Why a four-lane cross section on Southeast Boulevard?

With the completion of the 11th Street Bridges Project in 2013, Southeast Boulevard’s functional classification was changed to arterial. An arterial street balances access (providing local connections to homes and businesses) with mobility (serving through traffic between communities). Accordingly, in the early stages of alternatives development for the EA, the decision to maintain four lanes on Southeast Boulevard was made for three primary reasons:

  • To meet projected traffic demand, as traffic forecasts for Southeast Boulevard indicate that the boulevard will carry up to 21,000 vehicles per day (vpd) in 2040. A variety of District streets carry similar existing traffic volumes, such as New Hampshire Ave NW at Quincy St NW and Georgia Avenue NW at Decatur St NW, both with four-lane cross sections.
  • To allow for operational flexibility, such as the implementation of rush-hour restricted parking lanes.
  • To balance traffic across the roadway network. Reducing the number of travel lanes on Southeast Boulevard would shift traffic to other roadways that are already operating at capacity during the peak hours. Although diminished, Southeast Boulevard continues to play an important role in the District’s transportation network, serving a variety of District residents; therefore, changes to its configuration are being evaluated within the larger context area that includes DC 295; Pennsylvania, Potomac, and Kentucky Avenues SE; and nearby local streets. [Also, note that the 2016 Southeast Boulevard Feasibility Study found that traffic volume increases on neighborhood streets would be greater with a two-lane configuration than a four-lane configuration for Southeast Boulevard.]

Why is there a need for increasing access to the waterfront?

One purpose of the project is to establish neighborhood connectivity to the Anacostia River waterfront. Accordingly, improvement alternatives will provide bicycle and pedestrian connections to the waterfront (over the CSX tracks) and redesign the roadway to reduce transportation barriers between neighborhoods and the water.

No direct pedestrian and bicycle connections exist from the neighborhood north of L Street to the waterfront. To access the waterfront from 11th Street SE, residents from the neighborhood must travel up to approximately 1.0 mile on city streets (i.e., K Street SE, I Street SE, and 11th Street SE), with bicycle lanes provided only along 11th Street SE. Access via the pedestrian bridge north of Barney Circle is complicated by the lack of convenient bicycle crossings at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue SE and Barney Circle, and the opposing one-way vehicle traffic coming off of Barney Circle. Once a bicyclist or pedestrian has reached the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail at Barney Circle, he or she must continue nearly 1.0 mile before reaching points on the waterfront that are as close as 400 feet from their point of origin.

The proposed extension of 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE to Southeast Boulevard and provision of pedestrian and bicycle ramps over the CSX railway would provide a safe and direct connection from the neighborhood to the waterfront with a convenient travel distance of only 500 to 1500 feet from L Street. As presented in the 2009 Boathouse Row Planning Study, this portion of the waterfront is part of the Anacostia Waterfront Initiative and is the site of future planned enhancements for public amenities, including community open space.

The community needs more housing and green space.

One purpose of the project is to improve the functionality of Southeast Boulevard given its reclassification as an arterial. A redesigned facility that occupies a narrower footprint would facilitate potential excessing of transportation right-of-way for other uses compatible with the surrounding area, which includes residential, commercial, and parks, recreation, and open space land uses.

Note that this project focuses solely on transportation improvements to Southeast Boulevard and Barney Circle, which include features such as sidewalks, bicycle facilities, street trees, on-street parking, and green infrastructure; neighborhood-serving street extensions of 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE connecting to Southeast Boulevard; and pedestrian and bicycle links to the waterfront (over the CSX tracks). While the development and screening of alternatives will consider the availability of potential surplus transportation right-of-way for alternative land uses, such as neighborhood development or parks, this redevelopment would be subject to additional planning efforts with opportunities for public involvement.

Need for improved pedestrian and bicycle facilities.

This EA will evaluate conversion of Southeast Boulevard and reconfiguration of Barney Circle to accommodate expected multimodal travel demand and to be consistent with the character of the adjacent neighborhood. Transportation improvements would include features such as sidewalks, bicycle facilities, street trees, on-street parking, and green infrastructure. Improvement alternatives are being developed for both Barney Circle and Southeast Boulevard. Barney Circle currently serves motorized vehicles and provides substandard pedestrian facilities. Pedestrian and bicycle connections are being considered around the circle, and potentially through the circle, to connect to a future monument or memorial to be located there, as planned by the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC).

Concern about potential traffic, air quality, and noise impacts on the adjacent neighborhood from proposed improvements, especially related to the bus transit support facility and raising the profile of Southeast Boulevard.

The EA will assess potential impacts of the proposed improvements, including the bus transit support facility, on traffic, air quality, and noise within adjacent neighborhoods. Traffic studies being completed as part of the EA include development of future year travel demand forecasts and traffic operations analysis using simulation tools, to understand the impacts of proposed improvements on traffic in the immediate study area as well as within the larger context area that includes DC 295; Pennsylvania, Potomac, and Kentucky Avenues SE; and nearby local streets. The proposed improvements will be designed to avoid or minimize potential traffic, air quality, noise, and other impacts.

Concern for impacts on cultural and natural resources at Anacostia River waterfront.

Potential impacts to cultural and natural resources along the Anacostia River, as well as the river itself, are being considered in the EA.

Desire to maintain existing neighborhood character.

One purpose of the project is to provide an appropriate design for an urban street that will integrate with and enhance the existing character of the neighborhood in keeping with the Comprehensive Plan for the Nation’s Capital. Accordingly, Southeast Boulevard would include 10 and 11-foot travel lanes and boulevard features such as sidewalks, bicycle facilities, street trees, on-street parking, and green infrastructure; neighborhood-serving street extensions of 13th, 14th, and 15th Streets SE connecting to Southeast Boulevard; and pedestrian and bicycle links to the waterfront.