A proposition to deconstruct the Whitehurst Freeway has put residents and commuters at odds, and the fate of traffic on M St. and the Georgetown waterfront hangs in the balance.
Town meetings are being held this week and next to evaluate 19 different construction proposals as part of a $538,000 study by the District of Columbia Department of Transportation in conjunction with DMJM Harris, a draft engineering firm hired by the city. The study evaluates the benefits of modifying or demolishing the Whitehurst overpass to encourage development of the waterfront along K St.
Tearing down the freeway would likely increase the property value of businesses and residences on the K St. waterfront by opening up a better view of the Potomac and allowing more light into the area, officials at Tuesday’s town meeting said. Demolishing the overpass would also increase traffic on the under-utilized portions of K St.
But the question remains of how to accommodate commuters who use the Whitehurst to bypass the heavy Georgetown traffic.
“What do you do about the traffic going into Virginia?” John Townsend, a manager for the Automobile Association of America asked.
The least controversial alternatives are a series of ‘no-build’ proposals that advocate leaving the freeway intact, but with minor modifications including more traffic lanes, new ramps to Rock Creek Parkway and elevated sidewalks.
“The ‘no-build’ is the way to go,” Don Velsey, a member of the Foxhall Community Citizen’s Association, said. “[The freeway] is not a barrier to Georgetown.”
Townsend agreed. “Getting rid of a major thoroughfare does not sit well with us,” he said.
More ambitious alternatives that advocate the destruction of the Whitehurst overpass are also being evaluated. Some plans call for the installation of spiral ramps from the Key Bridge to K St. to take the place of the freeway, relocating the Whitehurst and M St. intersection closer to Foxhall Rd.
One plan involves running an express tunnel underneath K St. between Rock Creek Parkway and the Key Bridge, or even all the way to Rosslyn.
“The last thing I want is five or six lanes of consistent traffic,” ANC Commissioner Bill Starrels said. “I’m still leaning towards a tunneling idea.”
DMJM Harris, however, has not projected costs for any of the alternatives yet; they emphasize that the project is still in the brainstorming process.
Starrels said the most important thing at this stage is for people to keep their minds open. His dream: if you’re going to dig a tunnel from Rosslyn, why not connect Georgetown to the Metro?
