MARP Plans

Road building plans “greened”

The present MARP plan is the result of a DDOT planning process first released to the public in October 2017. Then “rehabilitating” the mile was justified on the grounds of improving traffic safety and also replacing the roadbed. The first version rerouted one major intersection and proposed other roadway changes that sparked pushback from the local community.

RMA focused on the plans’ impact on Embassy Row trees and landscape, such as new storm drains cut in the curb edge whose soil has roots of mature trees. Also the lights as proposed could be bad for human health and definitely hurt wildlife. See Backstory below for a rough timeline of this first phase.

Now we enter the action phase 2021-2022: monitoring what is done around all the trees to build a useful public record that informs on each tree’s future health and mortality. The final phase we’ll use GIS land cover imagery t learn how the canopy changed over time.

2006-2016

2017-2020

2021-2022

2023 →

Tree
Canopy
Increased

Job
Plans
Reviewed

Watch/
Report
Job Activity

Canopy
Change
Assessed

Back Story: Pushing for Improvements 2017 – 2019

2017

Oct 18

IPMD notice of Community Meeting for the MARP 30% plan.

Oct 24

IPMD 30% plan released at Community Meeting (Friends Meeting House). Q&A about traffic safety rationale, also why plans show median strip down center of roadway.

Oct 27

Restore Mass Ave (RMA) letter to IPMD about this project.

2018

Jan – Jun IPMD says MARP will start in 2019

Jan 01

RMA receives Pitchford Assoc field review of plans impact on 46 trees sampled along the route. “…[A] large percentage of these are viable….It would be a significant loss to the streetscape to have them removed.” All 46 had a “high potential for root damage” from sidewalk and curb replacement.

Jan 08

RMA Position Paper on IPMD MARP plan co-signed by Sheridan-Kalorama Historical Association and Sheridan-Kalorama Neighborhood Council. To the Mayor, City Council Members Cheh and Evans and others, ANC Commissioners for 2B (Dupont Circle) and 2D (Sheridan Kalorama, Eleanor Holmes Norton and IPMD Project leaders K. Ayeva and H. Kim.

Our strategic goals for the project stressed tree and root protections, best practice planting of new trees and keeping the Avenue’s historic character. We also said the new street lights proposed a 4,000K or even 3,000K are “too bright and harsh.”

Feb 07

Meeting at DDOT Urban Forestry Division (UFD) office with UFD and IPMD and reps of SKHA and RMA. Received UFD’s comments on trees in the 30% plan.

Feb 15

Casey Trees comments on the plan. Casey Trees also inventoried the street trees on the MARP route.

IPMD “Comments and Resolutions” chart on concerns in RMA submissions in Oct and Jan.

Feb 21

Street Lights Task Force leaders D. Bushong and B. Garrity lead nighttime walking tour of street light types in the Dupont-Mass Ave area. Organized by RMA. Hosted by Embassy Row Hotel. Tour Slide Show is on City Policy page.

Mar 06

“Petition” signed by Residents of 2540 Mass Ave Apartments, to City Council Members Evans and Cheh regarding street lights.

Mar 09

RMA meets with IPMD and UFD leaders.

Mar 12

RMA submits list of sites for possible ‘second row’ trees at IPMD request. Casey Trees also found sites for additional ‘second row’ trees. (These planting sites are outside MARP work area.)

Apr 03

IPMD 65% plan released.

Apr 19
– 21

Pitchford Assoc studies 65% plan…recommends changing new storm drains to avoid cutting roots of established street trees.

Apr 23

“City Needs Better Policy on Street Lights” by RMA President Deborah Shapley published in Northwest Current.

Apr 30

IPMD speaks about 65% plan to ANC 2D. RMA comments.

May 11

Photo shoot of trees at risk from MARP, by Roger Foley (FoleyFoto) commissioned by RMA.

Jul – Dec

Jul 16

IPMD 90% plan released.

Sep 02

RMA consults with ANC 2B Transportation and Public Infrastructure Committee about MARP impact on segment from Dupont Circle to Florida Avenue. Q&A why Mass Ave rebuild does not add bike lanes.

Preparation for meeting RMA sought with IPMD and UFD to request/resolve our tree-and street light related concerns in the 90% plan:

DC ClimateAction John MacGregor pole-by-pole markup of street light plans, color coded. Markup and report suggests some trees be relocated farther from trees to keep their leaf canopies intact.
Pitchford Assoc. Sept 24 “Construction Plan Review” lists changes/concerns for storm drain sites, protection of present trees, and planting specs for new trees.
RMA Supplemental Tree List adds requests for trees of historic landscape value.

Oct 04

Meeting at DDOT with reps of IPMD, UFD, Pitchford Assoc, RMA.

Followup: Pitchford list of meeting outcomes. RMA Supplemental list outcomes.

Nov 19

UFD seeks clarification about RMA requests for trees on R Street and Mass Ave.

2019 IPMD says MARP will start in 2020

Apr 25

IPMD 100% plan released.

Apr 30

IPMD shared with RMA an internal consultant review of 90% plan impact on trees. *Results should to be checked against 100% plan.)

From 191 street trees shown on Existing Conditions maps (2017 survey):

34 present trees go away
45 new trees are planted, including trees in new planting spaces.
11 stems are net gain.
202 = new total of street trees.

Consultant: 20 years after project completion (now 2023) street tree canopy in the MARP area will be 59.9% previous canopy.

Our take: The sidewalk shade is 40% less 20 years later, because MARP replaces 34 of 191, or 18% of present trees, including some big shady ones. Satellite data every five years (2020, 2025, 2030 etc) will show actual change. But new urban trees take years to give significant shade.

2020

MARP work postponed. Washington Gas ProjectPipes must first replace gas pipelines before MARP deep road excavation can begin. In 2020 RMA volunteers worked with Miller Pipeline crews and UFD arborist to help crews follow DC rules protecting trees. For more see our blog post Gas Pipeline Job

We met with IPMD leaders to share our lists of trees impacted by MARP.