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No Clear Route Around the Whitehurst
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The aesthetic issue is in the mind of the beholder -- I and many others believe driving on the Whitehurst offers a beautiful view of the Potomac and the riverside. In any event, spending the kind of money necessary to tear down the Whitehurst and replace it with the alternatives now listed (which will cause traffic nightmares way beyond any experienced now) just for those who believe the Whitehurst is aesthetically displeasing is not remotely justified.
-- Joe Rich
Palisades
The study options include a beautiful hypothetical roadway along a riverfront park. Reminds me of San Francisco's Embarcadero. But if you're looking for a review of urban design, this is the wrong place.
This is a traffic column.
The best option for traffic is a tunnel, taking what's up in the air and putting it under the ground.
No sane leaders would endorse a tunnel. The District's consultants estimate that the longer of two possible tunnels would cost $150 million. The study says that about 3,000 vehicles travel on the Whitehurst during the peak hour in the morning. That's not enough traffic to justify a tunnel.
By comparison, one six-car Metro train going through the Rosslyn tunnel can carry about a thousand people in or out of the District.
The study identifies a variety of other options, such as the super K Street, with or without a connection to the Key Bridge. On the lower end, the price is $25 million. But each alternative comes at a cost to commuters, the neighborhoods or both, adding potential conflicts between vehicles and between vehicles and pedestrians.
The District has the right to decide this one, but it's looking like a potentially big investment without a clear win.
Work Ending on Muncaster Road
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
Would you be able to provide any information on the reopening of Muncaster Road in Derwood? It has been closed since June 15 for repair work on the bridge.
Morning traffic on Bowie Mill Road (from 108 to Muncaster Mill Road) is a virtual parking lot from 7 to 9 a.m. every weekday. Main traffic arteries are few and far between in this area, and apparently Muncaster Road was one of them. The strain is being felt by everyone.
-- Lisa Sieg
Derwood
Montgomery County's Department of Public Works and Transportation says the Muncaster Road project is wrapping up and that it could reopen in a few days. The work involved replacing the bridge over Rock Creek, slightly altering the road alignment for about 3,300 feet and improving storm drainage and storm water management.
Dr. Gridlock appears Thursday in the Extra and Sunday in the Metro section. You can send e-mails todrgridlock@washpost.comor write to Dr. Gridlock at 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Send faxes to 703-352-3908. Include your name, town and county, and phone numbers.
