Debate over potential bike lanes on Connecticut Avenue in DC continues

WASHINGTON (7News) — Connecticut Avenue is considered one of the busiest channels to get through D.C.

“It is dangerous, it’s fast, and it’s deadly,” said Elizabeth Kiker, the Executive Director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA).

The future of the thoroughfare is up for debate with the possibility of adding bike lanes back on the table.

Last year, the mayor reversed course, and the plan was postponed by the D.C. Department of Transportation.

The move stunned WABA members.

READ MORE | DC pauses proposal to put bicycle lanes on Connecticut Ave. after major pushback

“This process happened,” Kiker said. “This process included ANCs. It included community members. It included businesses, and it was voted on and it was done, and it was budgeted, and then it was stopped. That’s not fair. That’s not how you run a city.”

However, the chance for barrier-protected bike lanes going in on Connecticut Avenue was given a new life when new language was approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment.

“The chairman of the transportation committee, Charles Allen, and Matt Frumin slipped in language in the budget recommendation report that requires any safety improvement on not just Connecticut Ave. but any road to have protected bike lanes or else they withhold all the funds for safety improvements,” said Lee Mayer, President of Save Connecticut Avenue.

He said this could mean that the D.C. Council’s transportation committee could block all capital improvements to Connecticut Avenue and any street if bike lanes are not included.

7News reached out to Committee Chair Allen’s office.

They said the language has been misinterpreted.

In a statement, Allen’s office wrote:

“The language approved by the Committee on Transportation and the Environment preserves full funding for the project, including 5% to create an alternative design. It does restrict construction from advancing on Conn Ave that does not include protected bike lanes (option C from the many years of discussion includes protected bike lanes). The clause “or any other capital project for the same or similar purpose” was inserted to prevent DDOT from simply renaming or attempting to skirt the law and advance construction. This language clearly applies only to the Conn Ave Street Safety Project and does not apply to other safe streets projects around the District.”

Still, both sides of the debate remain uncertain of the future and tell 7News they’ll work to plead their case with councilmembers ahead of the vote.

“This is going to hurt the mayor’s plan for revitalization for downtown,” said Mayer.

“It’s going to be massive congestion up and down Connecticut Ave. and people are not going to want to go there,” he added.

“We don’t know what they’re going to say, but we hope they say this is back on the way they said it would be,” said Kiker.

The DC Council will vote on the matter twice. The first vote is set for Wednesday, May 29. The second vote will happen on July 12.

Between those votes, the public can ask questions during a virtual meeting on June 3.