I'm a few days late with this, but it's still worth marking the milestone that infrastructure work has now indeed begun at
Capitol Quarter, on the northwest corner of 5th and L. Considering that the announcement in 2001 of the plans for revitalizing
Capper/Carrollsburg was one of the first things that got me interested in goings-on south of the freeway, it's quite satisfying to see that forward movement (beyond just demolition) has finally started.
From
today's Washington Times: "The head of the D.C. Sports and Entertainment Commission yesterday said he would like to increase the pace of work on the
Nationals' new ballpark to ensure that it is completed in time for Opening Day of next season. Commission CEO Greg O'Dell said he has asked the stadium construction team, led by Clark Construction of Bethesda, to boost the number of workers at the site from 720 to the maximum of 900." And yet: "The project is on time and on budget[.]" The blurb also mentions that the commission is looking into non-baseball uses for the ballpark (such as concerts), since the city has the rights to use the stadium for 18 events each year.
Dr. Gridlock got a tour of the
Douglass Bridge makeover on Wednesday, and reports about it
today on his Get There blog (with pictures). Next milestone? "They are a few days away from the concrete pour that will connect the lowered roadway to an approach slab that will bring it down to street level. The workers also will install new lighting on the bridge, finish removing the old, ugly railing along the sides and replace it with something more decorative, and finish the deck repair and paving. 'Come back in two weeks and you'll be amazed at the changes,' [DDOT acting associate director Ardeshir] Nafici said." (Not mentioned by the Doctor but worth plugging again: the M Street overpass will also be getting the new, more decorative railings in place of the current chain link fence.) There's also paving going on along the northern stretches of South Capitol Street.
Overall, "Nafici says that's been going remarkably well, and the bridge reconstruction is on schedule. They say they'll be done by their deadline of Sept. 7, but are hoping to finish up before that."
Another Week, Another Column About Parking
Aug 2, 2007 8:58 AM
Stadium to Fully Comply with ADA
Aug 2, 2007 8:51 AM
Thursday's Post reports that the
new Nationals ballpark "will have wheelchair seating in nearly every section and will fully comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act," which "requires sports arenas to reserve 1 percent of their seating for wheelchairs with affixed companion seats." The Justice Department pushed stadium architects HOK Sport to include more disabled seating in the luxury suites, while architects with the Paralyzed Veterans of America recommended "inconspicuous, wheelchair-accessible seating throughout the stadium -- from luxury boxes to the cheap seats" along with "designs that make the ticket booths and concessions more accessible."
