Media Contact (Only):  Karyn Le Blanc at (202) 671-3490

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) is offering residents a unique opportunity to participate in the rehabilitation of the infrastructure surrounding the historic Eastern Market. This week DDOT temporarily installed samples of the stone and brick materials selected for the sidewalks and roadway as part of the overall project. The Market was gutted in a fire on April 30, 2007.

The public is invited to view the paver samples and submit comments before the permanent installation begins.

There are three samples to view:

The first is a molded brick selected for the sidewalks on the south and east sides of the Market, where the Farmers’ Line shed is located. Many of the existing bricks in that area are missing or have deteriorated.

The two other samples are a 4”x8” Holland Paver and a 6”x9” special paver known as Colonial Cobble Stone, one of which would be installed along 7th Street, SE, between C Street and North Carolina Avenue, to differentiate the Market area.

Molded Brick for Sidewalk		6” x 9” Colonial Cobble Stone		4” x 8” Holland Paver

The District Department of Transportation and the Office of Property Management continue work on the rehabilitation and streetscape surrounding the historic Eastern Market. DDOT began work on the infrastructure last November while the Office of Property Management (OPM) is overseeing the reconstruction of the Market.

Infrastructure construction resumed on January 6, 2009 after a holiday moratorium and is scheduled for completion in April 2010. Work includes:

• the removal and replacement of existing curbs with granite curbs and the resetting or adjustment of existing granite curbs, and the installation of brick gutters,
• preservation of historic blue stone curbs fronting Eastern Market (on the north side of C Street and west side of 7th Street).  For the balance of the project, historic blue stone curbs shall be preserved and for areas where blue stone curbs do not exist, five inch granite curbs shall be installed to match the shape of the historic curbs. 
• installation of approved manhole covers,
• replacement of existing soil in tree spaces with structural soil mix,
• replacement and installation of wheelchair/bicycle ramps including walking surface with truncated domes,
• installation of bicycle racks at locations within the boundaries of the Eastern Market Streetscape Project,
• milling and overlaying of 7th Street, SE between Pennsylvania and C Street,
• installation of permanent lane markings and signage by the contractor,
• landscape work including the replacement of certain trees, improvement of tree spaces and landscape modification adjacent to Hines school.  Where possible, tree boxes shall be expanded to the current DDOT standard of 4 feet by 9 feet,
• upgraded streetlighting including Washington Globe and Teardrop Lighting, and
• placing precast concrete pavers and bedding material in front of the market on 7th Street, SE from C to North Carolina.

The $2.7M rehabilitation project is expected to take 465 days to complete, weather permitting. The work will require periodic street and sidewalk closures and DDOT will notify the community in advance when the closures are expected to impact traffic.

Both DDOT and OPM have worked closely with the Eastern Market Citizens Advisory Committee and the neighboring community to ensure the market continues to operate without disruption in its temporary quarters. DDOT is conducting its work on the infrastructure in phases to minimize the impact on vendors and other businesses in the area.

The sample materials are installed at the north end of the Farmers' Line and will be on display until Thursday, February 19. Comments concerning these materials can be submitted to Mary Wright, the ANC Commissioner for the Market area, or Abdullahi Mohamed of DDOT at Abdullahi.Mohamed@dc.gov or at (202) 671-4614.