Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
NCPC approves comments urging close DOT coordination as NPS seeks to end reversible lanes on Rock Creek Parkway
Summary
The National Capital Planning Commission approved staff comments on the National Park Service concept to end peak-period reversible lanes on Rock Creek and the Potomac Parkway, urging more traffic modeling, close coordination with DC DOT, and careful NEPA/Section 106 review to avoid shifting congestion to adjacent neighborhoods.
The National Capital Planning Commission on May 1 approved staff comments on the National Park Service’s concept plan to end peak-period reversible lanes and make multimodal safety improvements on Rock Creek and the Potomac Parkway.
NCPC staff presenter Michael Wild told the commission the park service’s concept would “permanently eliminat[e] the reversible lanes along the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway,” and that the package includes physical changes at five improvement sites — intersection redesigns, a raised median, trail repaving and widening, and new trail crossings and roundabout concepts to improve safety for motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
The measure matters because the reversible-lane operation moves large volumes of traffic during morning and evening peak periods and changes to that operation could move congestion onto adjacent city streets. Commission discussion and public testimony repeatedly pressed the need for NCPC and NPS to coordinate with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and other agencies before design decisions are finalized.
Edward Comr, representing Advisory Neighborhood Commission 2A, told the commission he was “not taking a position on the proposal to end one‑way rush hour traffic” but urged NCPC to ensure scoping materials address impacts on nearby intersections, including 27th Street, I Street and K Street, which his neighborhood regard as already congested and under-signed.
Foggy Bottom advocate Dale Barnhard said the concept changes are insufficient on their own and called for a broader strategy that reconnects the city grid to the Potomac waterfront and considers removing ramps and decking opportunities to enable large‑scale redevelopment.
NCPC staff’s written comments — approved by the commission — recommend additional traffic modeling (including updated travel patterns since the January 2024 traffic study), expanded coordination with DDOT and the U.S. Department of Transportation, and close NEPA and Section 106 review because several concept options could affect nearby historic and cultural resources. Staff also urged detailed study of pedestrian/trail crossings in roundabout concepts, use of high‑quality median materials, and that trail widening balances user safety with resource protection.
The commission voted unanimously to approve the comments. Commissioner STDM moved the motion; Vice Chair Hulet seconded. The roll call recorded affirmative votes from Commissioners Kart, STDM, Argo, Vice Chair Hulet, Chair Goodman, Green, Tonstall Williams, Dixon and Cash.
Next steps: NPS continues its environmental-assessment scoping through May 17 and NCPC will participate as a cooperating agency; staff and commissioners urged stakeholders to pursue additional traffic analysis and early DDOT coordination before design decisions that affect local streets are finalized.
