i'm sure the signals will slow traffic down somewhat, but seeing as how we're trying to turn south capitol into a friendly boulevard instead of a de facto freeway, that will be a good thing.

This former user of South Capitol Street uses different streets now. Taking the 11th Street bridges and doing the "loop-de-loop" at Suitland Parkway is only 1 minute longer than the old un-signalized South Capitol Street, and probably on-par or faster now. Pennsylvania works too, but only when traffic is fairly light. Of course when traffic is really light Capitol Hill to the Whitney Young Bridge (East Capitol Street) seems fastest. Can't wait to see how bad of a cluster South Capitol Street is during the first game, with thousands of pedestrians mixing with thousands of cars circling for non-existant parking spaces.

From Dr. Gridlock: WP, No matter how good the city's planning, those first couple of weeks of games at the new stadium are almost certain to be a mess for fans and the neighborhood.

Tens of thousands of people will be trying to find their way into and out of a part of town they don't know. I wouldn't even think about driving to a game. I'd probably take Metro to South Capitol Station and walk down from there.

I think the Nationals did the right thing in opting to have almost no weekday afternoon games this year. I've heard some fans complaining, but I think it will be tricky enough working out the traffic issues for regular night games without introducing weekday afternoons into the mix.

I work downtown and may well take the Metro to games and then back to the office to retrieve the car, but I've definitely considered the idea of parking at the Anacostia Metro garage and then either riding the Green Line one stop or just walking. It's not a terribly long walk from there to the ballpark via Howard Road and the Douglass Bridge, but I'm not sure of how safe it would be. Put bluntly, Howard Road is a bit sketchy and I'm wary of being a white guy walking alone in that area late at night. Now, if other people had the same idea, that would be a different matter.... The real difficulty is that, as Dr. Gridlock's post says, many people don't know that area very well and won't know any way other than the Green Line to Navy Yard. Walking to/from Capitol South doesn't strike me as any more ideal than walking to/from Anacostia because you have to walk through some fairly isolated areas under the Southwest-Southeast Freeway and then through some rough neighborhoods.

I suppose the idea is that the area will improve in a few years, just like the area around the Phone Booth.

I've given up on South Cap for the most part. It's now too unpredictable or worse, pretty much guaranteed to have delays. 30 cars backed up on the Bridge to allow 3 cars to enter from Potomac or some other side street. The same stupid mentality as that at Stanton Road (which causes backups nearly a mile up onto 295 at times.

On my way in it is the 11th street bridge, especially since they added the 2nd non-stop lane on the access ramp from Firth Stirling. No more scary merge means the 11th Street is a real option. Coming home I often dance through SW to pop up past all the lights, especially if S. Cap is clogged.

Traffic is slower on S.Cap now which is what the district wanted for District residents and developers. It's not in the interest of commutes of course. There needs to be a better mix but commuters from S.MD don't get to vote in DC

Anyone who thinks eliminating the Whitehurst and replacing it with 'well-timed' lights on an 'enhanced' K Street needs to closely examine S.Cap and the pain it has caused. If they can't get a better mix on S.Cap, opponents of the Whitehurst will have a really hard time getting that taken down.

Andrew,
thank you for bringing up the issue of the Whitehurst. Most people assume that those living in the vicinity of the Whitehurst are unanimously in favor of taking it down. This is not the case and I am a perfect example. I live right by the Whitehurst and I would hate to see what the neighborhood will be like when clogged with traffic if the freeway were to be removed. A NIGHTMARE! I have a hard time understanding my neighboors who are demanding that the freeway be removed. It was there when you bought your place. If you didn't like it, why didn't you find somewhere else to live?!?!

From Dr. Gridlock: Andrew and Mark, I asked Mayor Fenty about plans for the Whitehurst. He said he's not going to take it down. DDOT Director Moneme also said the city no longer is studying that option.

I didn't see how pulling down the freeway could help the people of Georgetown. If K Street became a boulevard with traffic signals, it would send lots more traffic onto M Street, a mess already.

"30 cars backed up on the Bridge to allow 3 cars to enter from Potomac or some other side street."

They do have a right to use the roads too, though. It might not seem fair to have a signal there but if it was your subdivision, would you want to wait 10+ minutes for a green so you could get out of your neighborhood?

I am very glad to hear Mayor Fenty has killed the Whitehurst "De-Construction" though. South Capital Street has the 11th Street Bridge as an alternate....M Street is not a viable alternate to the Whitehurst.

Rich, I'm coming from Columbia Heights, so I'll be taking the Green Line or biking to the stadium. For my out of city friends, I do like the idea of parking at Anacostia station and walking or taking the train.

Not sure if the Douglass Bridge could structurally handle throngs of fans crossing it, but I bet parking at Anacstia station and taking the Green Line one stop would be faster than parking at RFK and taking the planned bus shuttle bus to Nationals Park. Ballpark traffic and parking are shaping up to be the issues of the year for the planners of near southeast.

Tim writes: "Not sure if the Douglass Bridge could structurally handle throngs of fans crossing it"

My thought: how could it possibly NOT be able to support people walking across it, if it's designed to handle automobile traffic?

When DDOT worked on the bridge this summer, they spruced up the pedestrian lane on the upstream side of the bridge. There's a great view from the apex of the bridge - give it a try!

I think the articles about the South Capitol Bridge renovation pointed out the construction was very similar to the bridge that collapsed in MN, and that the bridge was too weak as originally built and had to have struts added to help shore up the strength.

I've actually sent a note to DDOT about the bridge, given some excessive vibrations I've felt on the three sections that were lowered. If you are standing on the south side about two or three segments up, looking at the DC Police Heliport, just wait until a construction truck passes and feel the vibrations. Yes, all bridges shake but I was nervous enough about the Douglas to actually send a letter in to DDOT. Something just didn't feel right.