| The Mayor on Pennsylvania Avenue | The Coalition on Klingle Road |
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Chairwoman
Morella, Congresswoman Norton, and Members of the Subcommittee, thank
you for the opportunity to speak to you today on the reopening of
Pennsylvania Avenue. I’d
like to acknowledge Senator Dole, President of the Federal City Council,
for his continuing support of the District. From supporting our voting
representation in Congress, to testifying today on our behalf, Senator
Dole is a champion of our city. I’d also like to thank Council Chair
Linda Cropp for her support of reopening Pennsylvania Avenue. I think
the fact that this panel of local and national officials is speaking
with one voice—reflects the merits of this proposal. In
March of 1791, Pierre L’Enfant began to implement his grand plan for
the physical design of the District of Columbia. He envisioned a grand
avenue that would become the city’s social and intellectual center,
and a means of moving between the two houses of government. As a man
devoted to the development of our country, L’Enfant would understand
the need to amend his plan to protect the President and First Family.
But, as an architect and urban planner, L’Enfant would be dismayed
that the federal government has chosen to close Pennsylvania Avenue to
provide those protections.
Today,
I’d like to briefly discuss the importance of reopening Pennsylvania
Avenue to the District, in spreading economic development into our
neighborhoods, easing traffic congestion and improving air quality, and
fulfilling L’Enfant’s vision of a grand avenue.
Downtown
Washington is the third largest commercial office market in the United
States, After New York and Los Angeles. This office market includes the
area from the base of Capitol Hill through the West End. With the
closing of Pennsylvania Avenue— and the limited west-to-east access on
“F’ Street — the heart of our city has become, literally, two
separate downtowns, adding up to 20 minutes onto across-town rush hour
commute. The only way drivers can travel from east-to-west is by
navigating the eight-block barricade around the White House—a
barricade that’s turned westbound “F’ Street into a rush hour zone
from morning until night. Commercial activity thrives in a connected
environment. By closing Pennsylvania Avenue — and disconnecting our
city from its center — we’ve experienced untold financial impact on
downtown business development. Consider the eastern end of our downtown:
The Interstate 395
tunnel is a
blockade to the eastward extension of downtown growth. Commercial
development is virtually non-existent on the eastern side of the 395
tunnel—A problem
to which I’m trying to solve in my Downtown Action Agenda.. But the
reason for this lack of development is the barricade around the White
House: commuters
and business leaders have been cut off from the city’s core. For this
city to continue to grow, we must be able to move people and goods from
downtown to the corners of the District. And that means a reopened
Pennsylvania Avenue. Traffic
and Environmental Impacts In
addition, the closure of Pennsylvania Avenue has further congested our
downtown streets and added to the daily stress of navigating our city.
The change from two-way to one-way streets, and from eastbound to
westbound circulation has increased gridlock and stalled the growth of
adjacent businesses. Prior
to the closure, the United States Department of Transportation
designated Pennsylvania Avenue as a thoroughfare on the National Highway
System. With the closure, traffic progression was diverted to adjacent
streets — like “H” and 9th Streets, Northwest - which were already
carrying 27,000 vehicles per day. And today, the increase in traffic has
left more vehicles sitting in idle, emitting carbon monoxide and other
toxins into the air. The District is already a non-compliance zone with
the Environmental Protection Agency for ozone. By opening the avenue, we
will reduce emissions and air quality will improve. Reasons
for Reopening Members
of the Subcommittee, all of you have traveled throughout the District.
You use our streets just like our residents, commuters, and
visitors—to get to work, attend social events, meet family and friends
for dinner and to go home. And you have been late to — or missed
events — because you couldn’t continue up Pennsylvania Avenue. You
have first-hand knowledge of how important access to Pennsylvania Avenue
is to those who drive in the District. The closure has — literally —
cut one half of the city from the other. And as we work to rebuild the
District, our ability to use Pennsylvania Avenue is fundamental to our
economic viability and social unity. At the same time, District
residents understand the need to protect the President and the First
Family. And we believe the plans that have been put forth clearly
address this primary concern. The
citizens in every great city have free access to their most important
monuments. In London, you can drive past 10 Downing Street and
Parliament. In Philadelphia, you can drive past Independence Mall and
the Liberty Bell. And as Congresswoman Morella will tell you, in
Annapolis, you can park your car on the brick street next to the State
House. The District is the symbol of a strong democratic nation. It is
the embodiment of all that can be good about government. It is the
capital of the free world. People should be able to drive past the
People’s House — the White House — in Washington, D.C. Chairwoman
Morella, Congresswoman Norton and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you
for opportunity to speak to you today. I look forward to working with
you, and the Bush Administration, to identify a solution that balances
the safety of President Bush and his family, the opportunity for local
growth and the access to the White House that L’Enfant envisioned when
he designed our city. At this time, I am happy to answer any questions
you might have.
Mayor William’s Testimony
Before Congress: “America’s
Main Street: The Future of Pennsylvania Avenue” March 21, 2001 |
Members
of the public, thank you for the opportunity to
speak to you on the reopening of Klingle Road.
Olmsted
sought to reshape the American city by designing public parks and park
systems to balance the best aspects of city and country life. He
envisioned a modern metropolis where large naturalistic recreational
parks and openly built residential communities would be integrated with
the working commercial center to provide for the social and
psychological well being of the urban resident.
Olmsted's park systems did shape the growth of many American
cities and helped inspire the city planning movement.
Olmsted would be dismayed that the DC government has chosen to
close Klingle Road and convert it to a utility gravel road for a few. Closing
Klingle Road has hindered the development of our city by not uniting our
city, but dividing our city east and west of the Park. It has hindered
the movement of people and goods from the east and west of the Park to
its east-west of the Park neighborhoods. And it’s prevented our
residents from doing what the city’s planners intended for them to
do—"providing public
access to the
enjoyment of extraordinary rural scenery."
Today,
I’d like to briefly discuss the importance of reopening Klingle Road
to the District, in spreading economic development into our
neighborhoods, easing traffic congestion and improving air quality, and
fulfilling Olmsted’s vision which stated, "The dominant
consideration, never to be subordinated to any other purpose in dealing
with Rock Creek Park, is the permanent preservation of its wonderful
natural beauty, and the making of that beauty accessible to all
people. Commercial
Impacts Downtown
Washington is the third largest commercial office market in the United
States, After New York and Los Angeles. This office market includes the
area from the base of Capitol Hill through the West End. With the
barricading of Klingle Road— and the limited west-to-east access
across the Park — the Park has become a dividing line, two separate
neighborhoods, adding up to 25 minutes onto across-town rush hour
commute. The only way drivers can travel from east-to-west is by
navigating north and south. Commercial activity thrives in a connected
environment. By closing Klingle Road — and disconnecting our city from
east of the park to west of the park — we’ve experienced untold
financial impact on business development.
But the reason for this lack of development is the barricades set
up on Klingle Road: our residents, commuters and business leaders have
been cut off from the accessing east and west. For this city to continue
to grow, we must be able to move people and goods from both sides of the
Park to the corners of the District. And that keeping Klingle Road
opened to all.
In
addition, the closure of Klingle Road has further congested our
neighborhood streets and added to the daily stress of navigating our
city. The change from two-way to one-way streets and from eastbound to
westbound circulation has increased gridlock and stalled the growth of
adjacent businesses. Members
of the public, all of you have traveled throughout the District. You
use our streets just like our residents, commuters, and visitors—to
get to work, attend social events, meet family and friends for dinner
and to go home. And you have been late to — or missed events —
because you couldn’t continue up Klingle Road. You have first-hand
knowledge of how important access to Klingle Road is to those who drive
in the District. The closure has — literally — cut one half of the
Park from the other. And as we work to rebuild the District, our ability
to use Klingle Road is fundamental to our economic viability and social
unity. The National Register of Historic Rock Creek Park states, "When
Rock Creek Park was established, only 3 county lanes: Klingle, Pierce
Mill, and Military Roads, had through connections on either side of the
valley above the National Zoological Park.
These roads and the major north-south routes on the eastern and
western edges of what became Rock Creek Park, such as 14th Street, Broad
Branch, and Daniels (today Oregon Avenue) Roads, largely determined the
development of land area into the 20th century." The District
is the symbol of a strong democratic nation. It is the
embodiment of all that can be good about government. It is the capital
of the free world. People should be able use their public road.
Conclusion DC cannot afford to waste the road. We have thousands of acres of urban park and 30 miles of bike paths. Klingle Road is one of only three roads crossing Rock Creek Park. DC needs this important link for residents on both sides of the Park. Fewer roads mean more pollution in our densely populated neighborhoods; and DC residents are being harmed and burdened. It is the City's duty to keep the roads in good repair. Repairing Klingle Road would better serve our transportation needs; and DC would benefit more by restoring and preserving the road’s historic, and intended purpose. The Coalition’s Testimony "DC's Public
Roads: The Future of Klingle
Road"
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