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40 miles already paved with an expected 50 more miles to go for a combined 90 miles
Asphalt paving is underway in Washington D.C.’s largest and possibly most technologically assisted repaving project ever. The paving program has currently been placed in motion in a hopeful attempt to create easier commutes, higher property values and a overall investment. Approximately 40 miles have already been paved with an expected 50 more miles to go. The goal is a completed 90 miles of paved road.
Throughout the city, triaxle dump trucks are loaded with asphalt as hot as 325 degrees lined up to feed paving machines across the city. Major stakes and pressure is being placed on plant and ground crews to ensure the mixes are to spec and the job is done thoroughly correct. Officials have stated that about one third of the roads in D.C. are in poor condition and have not been maintained. The project’s budget is three times more this year than it would normally be signalling just how far behind U.S. infrastructure is.
Jeff Marootian, head of the District Department of Transportation in D.C., claimed that the tracking of paving is now available for the first time in history. An interactive map allows individuals to see where workers have already paved roads and where they are planning on operating within upcoming weeks. The initiative also put a tremendous focus and improvement on how roads are selected and now tracked for maintenance. DOT is now incorporating tech like ARC GIS and other Satellite tools for tracking progress, deficiencies and priorities. DOT is adopting tech at a promising pace as all eyes are on infrastructure.
DIRECTLY FROM DC OFFICIALS:
Mayor Muriel Bowser has committed to eliminating all poor quality roads in the District by 2024. As the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) works to meet this goal, it has taken into account road quality assessment and community requests allowing the department to first address the streets that are in greatest need and highest priority to the community. Keeping our roads in good condition provides maximum benefit to the traveling public by enhancing the safety of the roadway and improving the ride comfort of the road surface. View our weekly construction update to find out where DDOT crews are scheduled to be working over the coming days.
What to Expect
Starting each spring and continuing through the fall, DDOT performs street maintenance and rehabilitation to keep the District’s roadways in the best shape possible. Convenience for businesses and residents is a top priority during the street resurfacing process. Because advance warning of roadwork is crucial, DDOT wants you to be ready. DDOT will place notices and any necessary no parking signs on affected streets 72 hours prior to the start of the street resurfacing work. This notice will contain information about when the roadwork will occur. In order to ensure that rehabilitation and maintenance can remain on schedule, the flyers request that owners move their cars prior to resurfacing. Not moving cars in advance can delay work due to the need to tow cars out of the work zone.
Road Rehabilitation
Repairing streets in poor condition due to potholes and other severe cracks in the pavement are DDOT’s top priority. At the start of the 2018 paving season approximately 25% of all streets in the District have been assessed as being in poor condition. DDOT uses a combination of road quality data and community requests to prioritize the order of rehabilitating roads. This assessment occurs annually over the winter season when road conditions are most likely to deteriorate due to the impact that low temperatures and precipitation have on asphalt. All roads, before being placed on the rehabilitation list, are visually assessed by DDOT staff to determine the type of rehabilitation and whether sidewalk repairs are also needed as part of the work. Please be aware that some streets may remain “Under Construction” until sod is replaced in the fall (if planted in the summer sod may not survive). Besides resurfacing our teams will also be crack sealing some roadways. This is a preventative maintenance activity designed to prevent water from infiltrating the pavement and then breaking it up in the freeze/thaw cycle.
Click here to view Road Rehabilitation Map on mobile device.
Pavement Condition Index (PCI)
Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is a formal rating scale of roadway pavements which allows the agency to determine the condition and informs on types of treatments needed to repair; the rating scale is 0 (failed) to 100 (excellent).
Sidewalks
The District has approximately 1,495 miles of sidewalks to maintain. The overall condition of the District’s sidewalks is continuously improving as sidewalk repairs and replacements are performed regularly. In addition to full block sidewalk replacements on the sidewalk plan, DDOT’s Street and Bridge team repairs sidewalks throughout the year that only need a partial replacement.
Standard Sidewalk Material Types
- Brick
- Concrete
- Concrete Aggregate
- Porous Flexible Pavement
Alleys
There are approximately 364 miles of alleys in the District. DDOT’s goal is to rehabilitate all alleys that are in poor condition by 2024 and prioritizes alley repair based on the condition of the alley assessed and community requests. DDOT prioritizes repairs based on inspections conducted when responding to alley repair requests submitted via the Mayor’s 311 Call Center. DDOT continued Mayor Bowser’s AlleyPalooza Campaign and has completed work on over 800 alleys since 2015.
Markings
Pavement markings indicate which part of the road to use, provide information about conditions ahead, and indicate where passing is allowed. DDOT has been continuously painting thermoplastic pavement markings on newly paved roads or re-paint faded markings. In particular, DDOT pays attention to pavement markings near schools, bike lanes, or at high-crash intersections to improve pedestrian safety. To improve safety at intersections and achieve the Vision Zero goal, moving forward, DDOT is installing high visibility ladder markings at all intersections where improvements are being made.
Road Maintenance
FAQs