South Walter Reed Drive Complete Streets Improvements

• Reduces the complexity of the 6th Street S. intersection to improve safety for all transportation network users and shortens crossing distances for people walking. 

• Realigns and adds a signal to the 9th Street S. intersection to facilitate movements for all transportation network users (including school buses and fire apparatus) and shorten crossing distances for people walking. 

• Adds raised islands for safer turning movements and to provide additional protection for people biking and walking 

• Relocates the midblock bus stop closer to 8th Street S. to improve rider safety and access as well as bus headways. 

• Provides protected and buffered bike lanes to improve safety and access of people biking between 7th and 9th Streets S.

• Provides a buffered bike lanes between 6th and 7th Street were added to the final concept as an interim condition.

  • Design review determined that the revised final concept, which included protected bike lanes, presented conflicts between driveway sightlines and parking, as well as with trash, recycling, and service needs.
  • Buffered bike lanes provide an enhanced facility over existing conditions while helping to balance multimodal needs across the corridor.
  • A subsequent capital project is being considered for this block, with the goal of improving accessibility for people walking and biking, by providing sidewalk-level improvements.

• Reconfigures driveway access near 8th and 9th Streets S. to provide safer access to private parking, reduce crossing distances for people walking and reduce intersection complexity for all transportation network users. 

• Provides more consistent travel lane widths and pocket turn lanes at 9th Street S. and 7th Street S. to improve the safety and predictability of people driving. 

• Provides approximately 104 parking spaces, a net gain of 4 spaces from existing conditions. 

Design updates from revised concept (spring 2022) to final concept (winter 2022) 

• Added additional green space and permeable surfaces in response to community feedback: 

  • Added ten grass medians from 5th Street South to 9th Street South.
  • Added two landscaped rain gardens: one at 6th Street South and the other at 9th Street S. 

  • Added three planting strips in sidewalk west of Walter Reed from 9th Road South to Columbia Pike.   

• Removed raised median on 9th Street west of the intersection to ensure safety and access of larger vehicles turning, such as school buses and fire trucks. 

• Added two-stage left turn bike boxes at 9th Street intersection to facilitate turn movements for people biking on the 9th Street Bike Boulevard.  

• Added wider sidewalks from 9th Road South to Columbia Pike to improve pedestrian and transit rider safety and access based on community feedback.

• In this section, widening the sidewalks reduces on-street parking by five spaces from revised concept design.  
• As noted above, the final design provides approximately 104 parking spaces, a net gain of 11 spaces from existing conditions.