(Washington, DC) Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, Ward 4 Councilmember Muriel Bowser, and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) today participated in the groundbreaking for the reconstruction of the intersection of Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue, NE. The $10 million project will make this complicated intersection easier to use and safer for pedestrians and drivers.

“This isn’t a high speed highway interchange, it’s the intersection of two neighborhood streets,” said Mayor Fenty, “That will be reflected in the improvements DDOT is making, and those improvements will complement the exciting mixed-use development that is taking place in this community.”

The Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue NE project is a necessary infrastructure and safety improvement project located in Ward 4 of the District of Columbia. The project is estimated to take 16-months and includes major roadway reconstruction and utility upgrades. Construction will take place daily from 9:30 am – 8:30 pm.

“The residents who live here worked very closely with us during the design and as such we are installing four crosswalks at the intersection as part of the safety improvements,” said Director Klein, “Our goal is to create livable communities across the District and people need to feel they can walk safely to the Metro station, to the stores and to work. I think this is a great example of how we work together to accomplish that.”

A minimum of one-lane of traffic will be maintained at all times during the construction. DDOT’s Traffic Control Officers may be posted at the intersection during high traffic volume times and traffic engineers may optimize the traffic signals to provide longer signal times specifically during morning and afternoon rush hours.

The project scope of work includes:

• Reconfiguring the intersection of Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue so it is a traditional 4-way intersection
• Total roadway reconstruction on both Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue
• Installation of crosswalks on all 4 sides of the new intersection
• New granite curbs and brick gutters, wheelchair ramps, driveway entrances, concrete and exposed aggregate sidewalks
• The relocation of utility lines by Washington Gas and PEPCO
• New catch basins, water quality basins, manholes, and sewer pipes
• New street lights and traffic signals
• New trees, bike racks, multi-space meters and trash cans

The first phase of the project will be the relocation of the utility lines and then DDOT will begin work on the roadways. The project will be managed in-house by DDOT engineers. The construction contractor is Civil Construction.