Klingle Road
Encyclopedia
Klingle Road is a street
in Washington, D.C.
. A portion of the road was closed to traffic in 1991 due to erosion damage. It has been the focus of a long dispute between District residents who wanted the road repaired and residents who wanted to keep this portion of Rock Creek Park
free of automobile traffic.
neighborhood to the north. A small stream, usually called the Klingle Tributary, flows through it, and empties into Rock Creek
. Much of the valley is administered by the National Park Service
as a part of Rock Creek Park. The mouth of the valley joins the mouth of another narrow valley occupied by Porter Street.
severely damaged a 3/4 mile (1.2 km) section. The closure of Klingle Road has burdened large numbers of people who, for decades, used the road as a crosstown alternative and as an access road to Rock Creek Park. Moreover, public safety officials from the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36 and employee groups representing paramedics and emergency medical technicians, as well as the D.C. Hospital Association, have said that Klingle Road is vital to the protection of life and property. But for an accident of nature, there would be no Klingle Road controversy today. The road served over 3,200 cars a day. As with all roads in Rock Creek Park, stormwater
presents an ongoing challenge in this valley and the damage had to be addressed. This decision led to a strong effort to overturn that decision and have the road rebuilt. A competing campaign, led by the Sierra Club of DC, advocated for replacing the road with a bicycle, hiking, or bridle path.
Pressure for the rebuilding of the road led to a detailed study of its feasibility by the Berger Group, an engineering consultant to the DC government, published in August 1999. This did not end the dispute, as no options were ruled out by this study.
In 2003, Mayor Anthony Williams
expressed opposition to the demands that the road be rebuilt, but was overruled by the Council of the District
, which in 2003 passed a line item in the District budget bill requiring that Klingle Road "be re-opened to the public for motor vehicle traffic." The construction schedule called for the road to be re-opened to traffic in 2007.
An environmental impact study (EIS) was required prior to road reconstruction, in order to obtain Federal funding for the road. Repeated efforts at this EIS were returned by the Federal Government to the District for rewriting and changes, leading to speculation that the Federal Highway Administration
was intentionally obstructing the project. In 2008, District Mayor Adrian Fenty
attempted to bypass the EIS by providing full local funding of the automobile road. But Councilmember Mary Cheh
, representing west-of-the-Park neighborhoods, succeeded in replacing this appropriation with a provision calling for the road to "remain closed to motorized vehicular traffic," and the right-of-way employed instead for a recreational trail. Councilmember Jim Graham
, representing the east-of-the-Park neighborhoods, attempted to restore funding for the automobile road, but his amendment was rejected by the District Council by a 10 to 3 vote.
In January 2011, the Klingle Valley Trail Final Environmental Assessment was released for public comment. This Assessment identified, as the "preferred option", a 10-foot-wide permeable-surface multi-use trail, full stream channel and bank stabilization for Klingle Creek, a multi-use trail connecting this trail to the existing Rock Creek trail, and pole or bollard lighting of the trail to facilitate nighttime use. On February 28, 2011, the Federal Highway Administration accepted the finding of "no significant impact" by the Environmental Assessment.
Street
A street is a paved public thoroughfare in a built environment. It is a public parcel of land adjoining buildings in an urban context, on which people may freely assemble, interact, and move about. A street can be as simple as a level patch of dirt, but is more often paved with a hard, durable...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. A portion of the road was closed to traffic in 1991 due to erosion damage. It has been the focus of a long dispute between District residents who wanted the road repaired and residents who wanted to keep this portion of Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park
Rock Creek Park is a large urban natural area with public park facilities that bisects Washington, D.C. The park is administered by the National Park Service.-Rock Creek Park:The main section of the park contains , or , along the Rock Creek Valley...
free of automobile traffic.
Location
The valley forms the boundary between the Woodley Park neighborhood to the south and the Cleveland ParkCleveland Park
Cleveland Park is a residential neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C.It is located at and bounded approximately by Rock Creek Park to the east, Wisconsin and Idaho Avenues to the west, Klingle and Woodley Roads to the south, and Rodman and Tilden Streets to the north...
neighborhood to the north. A small stream, usually called the Klingle Tributary, flows through it, and empties into Rock Creek
Rock Creek (Potomac River)
Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...
. Much of the valley is administered by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
as a part of Rock Creek Park. The mouth of the valley joins the mouth of another narrow valley occupied by Porter Street.
History
Formerly Klingle Ford Road, Klingle Road became a public roadway in 1839. In the years prior to World War I, the road was used by farmers to bring grain to Pierce Mill. Klingle Road is referenced as the historic southern border for Rock Creek Park. In 1913 the city generated a plan to straighten and widen the street as Klingle Parkway, connecting Beach Drive and Reno Road. The road was closed to traffic in 1991.Closure and ensuing dispute
A section of the roadway was barricaded in 1991 after erosionErosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
severely damaged a 3/4 mile (1.2 km) section. The closure of Klingle Road has burdened large numbers of people who, for decades, used the road as a crosstown alternative and as an access road to Rock Creek Park. Moreover, public safety officials from the Fraternal Order of Police, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 36 and employee groups representing paramedics and emergency medical technicians, as well as the D.C. Hospital Association, have said that Klingle Road is vital to the protection of life and property. But for an accident of nature, there would be no Klingle Road controversy today. The road served over 3,200 cars a day. As with all roads in Rock Creek Park, stormwater
Stormwater
Stormwater is water that originates during precipitation events. It may also be used to apply to water that originates with snowmelt that enters the stormwater system...
presents an ongoing challenge in this valley and the damage had to be addressed. This decision led to a strong effort to overturn that decision and have the road rebuilt. A competing campaign, led by the Sierra Club of DC, advocated for replacing the road with a bicycle, hiking, or bridle path.
Pressure for the rebuilding of the road led to a detailed study of its feasibility by the Berger Group, an engineering consultant to the DC government, published in August 1999. This did not end the dispute, as no options were ruled out by this study.
In 2003, Mayor Anthony Williams
Anthony A. Williams
Anthony Allen "Tony" Williams is an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. He had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of...
expressed opposition to the demands that the road be rebuilt, but was overruled by the Council of the District
Council of the District of Columbia
The Council of the District of Columbia is the legislative branch of the local government of the District of Columbia. As permitted in the United States Constitution, the District is not part of any U.S. state and is instead overseen directly by the federal government...
, which in 2003 passed a line item in the District budget bill requiring that Klingle Road "be re-opened to the public for motor vehicle traffic." The construction schedule called for the road to be re-opened to traffic in 2007.
An environmental impact study (EIS) was required prior to road reconstruction, in order to obtain Federal funding for the road. Repeated efforts at this EIS were returned by the Federal Government to the District for rewriting and changes, leading to speculation that the Federal Highway Administration
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two "programs," the Federal-aid Highway Program and the Federal Lands Highway Program...
was intentionally obstructing the project. In 2008, District Mayor Adrian Fenty
Adrian Fenty
Adrian Malik Fenty was the sixth, and at age 36, the youngest, mayor of the District of Columbia. He served one term—from 2007 to 2011—losing his bid for reelection at the primary level to Democrat Vincent C. Gray...
attempted to bypass the EIS by providing full local funding of the automobile road. But Councilmember Mary Cheh
Mary Cheh
thumb|right|Mary Cheh in 2010Mary M. Cheh is a Democratic politician from Washington, D.C. In November 2006, she won a seat on the Washington, D.C. City Council representing Ward 3.-Background and family:...
, representing west-of-the-Park neighborhoods, succeeded in replacing this appropriation with a provision calling for the road to "remain closed to motorized vehicular traffic," and the right-of-way employed instead for a recreational trail. Councilmember Jim Graham
Jim Graham
Jim Graham is a U.S. politician and a member of the Council of the District of Columbia. He is a Democrat representing Ward 1 - the most populated and diverse area in Washington, D.C....
, representing the east-of-the-Park neighborhoods, attempted to restore funding for the automobile road, but his amendment was rejected by the District Council by a 10 to 3 vote.
Outcome
After nearly two decades of disputation, it appears that the road may be replaced with a trail for hikers and bicyclists. An Environmental Assessment is under way, to be completed in July 2010. If that is acceptable to the Federal Government, and funding for the construction is found, then the recreational trail may come into existence by 2012, 21 years after the closing of the road due to stormwater damage.In January 2011, the Klingle Valley Trail Final Environmental Assessment was released for public comment. This Assessment identified, as the "preferred option", a 10-foot-wide permeable-surface multi-use trail, full stream channel and bank stabilization for Klingle Creek, a multi-use trail connecting this trail to the existing Rock Creek trail, and pole or bollard lighting of the trail to facilitate nighttime use. On February 28, 2011, the Federal Highway Administration accepted the finding of "no significant impact" by the Environmental Assessment.