Fight for the Green Mile Continues

Great turn out Monday night by citizens who voiced their support for the Green Mile.  It was clear from the standing room only crowd who attended the Monday night meeting with the State Highway Administration that there are many concerns over the proposed sidewalk.  Comments ranged from "Is there a demonstrated need?" to "The impact on the stream and bay will be tremendous."

Primary Support Came from WABA
Supporting comments came mainly from the Washington Area Bike Association who are looking forward to using the sidewalk as a commuting route.  Several people questioned whether bikers and pedestrians were compatible on an 8 foot wide trail.

State Reluctant to Commit to Crosswalks or Light
Also supporting the project were representatives from Chevy Chase West who were hopeful that once a sidewalk was installed, crosswalks from the west side to the bus stops on the east side would come.  The State traffic engineer was very reluctant to say that was likely.  They do not like to put crosswalks in where there are no four way intersection as they consider them as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than no crosswalks.She said that maybe if a pedestrian and bus use study indicated a high enough pedestrian count, the State might consider a mid-block light.   But she stressed that since people do not like to walk more than 500 feet to get to a light, it would probably require consolidating all of the bus stops to one.  The other State engineer said the Ride-on bus guidelines require the stops to be spaced out along Wisconsin Avenue so consolidating was not an option.

Graphic Notes of the meeting thanks to Barb Siegel.   

Bethesda Patch, BethesdaNow.com and the Gazette all covered the meeting.  Read their articles on our website by clicking HERE.

We will continue to pursue this issue.  If you would like to join the committee that has been working on it, please email me at stormwater@lfwa.org.  We are currently looking into funding issues and demonstrated need.

Thank you to all who came out to support the Green Mile.  Visit our website for latest news and keep putting pressure on public officials.  We need trees on Wisconsin Avenue!
Sarah Morse

Why are All the Trees Marked?

You may have noticed red, blue and red and white stripped ribbons marking trees and shrubs along the Hiker/Biker trail in the Little Falls Stream Valley Park.

These ribbons are part of a survey by the WSSC in preparation for a large sewer rehabilitation project for the Little Falls Basin.

From the Project Engineers (O'Brien and Gere)

 Colored Tags. - (Tags do NOT necessarily indicate removal.)

•  Red/white stripped denote specimen trees that must be replaced in-kind if removed.
• Red markings basically indicate the limits of disturbance.  This designation is not to be taken literally, but rather indicated the access path that the contractors may need to perform their work.
• Blue markings indicate the top of bank for a stream corridor.

Community Presentation:

We will be prepared to present project maps at the community outreach event currently being planned for late January.  In the meantime, WSSC has a web application HERE that provides the location of specific manholes and pipelines to be rehabilitated throughout the service area.

Little Falls Watershed Alliance will keep you up to date as we get information.  Watch our website for details.