Published on: Tuesday, August 22, 2023 News

What is the Maple Avenue Connectivity Project?

 

The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project aims to redesign the roadway on Maple Avenue to prioritize the safety, comfort, and convenience of adults and children who walk, ride bikes and scooters, and take transit. In the process, we hope that it will make driving a car safer, too!

Maple Avenue is one of the most diverse roadways in the city. The one-mile corridor from the DC border to Sligo Creek Park traverses through three wards, past some of the most expensive single-family homes and some of the densest, most affordable apartment buildings

Along the route, there are:

  • a public elementary school,
  • a church,
  • senior living services,
  • public parks,
  • the city services contained in the Community Center (library, city offices, recreation spaces, and the police department),
  • and local retail shops.

The route is a vital transportation connection for public transit riders, hundreds of students and families walking to school, and bicycle commuters and recreationalists accessing the Sligo Creek Trail and DC’s bike lane network.

The Maple Avenue Connectivity Project, a reboot of the project previously known as the Maple Avenue Complete Street project, will spend Fall 2023 re-evaluating past preliminary designs for the roadway. There were many strong elements to the previous version, but we also heard from many corners of the community that more time was needed to create a design that is maximally inclusive and effective in creating a sense of safety and accessibility. Feedback will be gathered during a series of pop-up workshops along the corridor, focus groups, and a large format community meeting during the months of August, September, and October. 

Once a revised preliminary design is completed, the city’s consulting team, RK&K, will advance to a more detailed stage of design, known as semifinal or 60% design plans. In this stage, the broad brushstrokes of the preliminary designs are refined with more  technical analysis and permitting b in order to advance the design. Also during the early part of this stage, additional rounds of community feedback will help guide the design refinement. A complete, semifinal design plan is expected by Summer 2024, and a complete final design plan is expected by Fall 2024.

To find the schedule of community pop-ups, as well as information about the project and how to sign up for regular project updates, visit the project website: https://bit.ly/MapleAvenueConnectivity.

Upcoming Pop-Ups:

9/28 @ 4:30-6:00pm: Takoma Park Child Development Center (310 Tulip Ave)

10/5 @ TBD: Youth Pop-Up (II) @ Teen Center (7500 Maple Ave)