Some 75 determined neighbors walked around Ward Circle at the intersections of Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues during morning rush hour, horns blared and the issue of traffic gridlock caused by American University’s planned expansion took center stage.
American University’s traffic study, submitted to the Office of Zoning in conjunction with its 2011 Proposed Campus Expansion Plan claims that expansion would have little or no impact on traffic at the Circle and along Nebraska Ave. Judging by the honking of the motorists, this was not the case today.
Wearing buttons reading “Stop the AU Plan” and with signs opposing the expansion sprouting from the circle, the coalition of groups from the neighborhoods surrounding AU wanted to demonstrate first hand that the AU Expansion Plan will indeed increase gridlock.
Some of the neighbors held signs that read “Honk if You Hate Gridlock.” They urged rejection of the AU Expansion Plan because of the severe traffic problems and potential pedestrian safety issues involved.
“If the Zoning Commission allows AU’s Expansion Plan to go through it could potentially back up traffic from Connecticut Ave. to Canal Road on a daily basis” said Mary Ellen Fehrmann, a leader of the coalition. “Add in the double whammy of the Department of Homeland Security increasing its workforce by about 1800 and you have traffic gridlock nightmare.”
Ward Circle is one of the busiest crossroads in the city and, according to the Rockcreek West II Livability Study, has the highest accident rate in the city. The neighbors worry that this will get worse.
AU’s plan to build dormitories for some 600 students on the Nebraska Ave parking lot will add multiple pedestrian crossings at Ward Circle and Nebraska Ave., including many mid-block. Their solution is to ask DDOT to install another traffic light midblock, which in turn, will back up more vehicles trying to get to the intersection.
Massachusetts Avenue carries almost 21,000 cars every weekday and Nebraska carries 24,500 not counting heavy pedestrian and bicycle traffic in the intersection. Emergency vehicles already have a hard time getting through, according to many who live in the area. This worries Tony Cafoncelli, a retired physician who lives at Westover Place. “If the traffic situation worsens, it could endanger the lives of residents and students alike,” he says. Other concerns he has are the increased air pollution, air toxins, greenhouse gasses and noise pollution deriving from worsening gridlock. “All of these affect not only the quality of life for people in the area, but the quality of health as well,” says Cafoncelli.
More information:
Neighborhood Organizations:
American University Campus Plan:
