Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                        A RESOLUTION

                                              25-602

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                           July 9, 2024

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to amend the Department of

       Transportation Establishment Act of 2002 to provide the Director of the District

       Department of Transportation (“DDOT”) with greater discretion to delegate the agency’s

       duties and responsibilities, to provide the DDOT Director with the authority to construct,

       maintain, and control DDOT infrastructure on land transferred from the federal

       government for recreational purposes in cases where the land transferred is adjacent to

       public space and is part of a transportation improvement plan or project, and to provide

       that the District has an adequate interest sufficient to meet federal highway funding

       requirements in federal parkland where transportation infrastructure projects are located;

       and to amend the Vision Zero Enhancement Omnibus Amendment Act of 2020 to

       provide the Director of DDOT with greater discretion to delegate the agency’s duties and

       responsibilities.

        RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

resolution may be cited as the “Transportation Improvements Emergency Declaration Resolution

of 2024”.

        Sec. 2. (a) The 11th Street Bridge Park is a partnership between the District Department

of Transportation (“DDOT”) and Building Bridges Across the River, a non-profit organization

located in Ward 8. The project will transform the old freeway into a new civic space over the

Anacostia River. Planned programming for the completed park includes an environmental

education center, a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater, a kayak and canoe launch, an urban farm, and

community meeting space, public art installations, and an environmentally themed play area. The

11th Street Bridge Park is currently at 100% design and finalizing its last permits. DDOT plans

to solicit the general contractor in September and begin construction by the end of 2024.

        (b) The 11th Street Bridge Park connects to the eastern side of the Anacostia River on

land that is currently managed by the National Park Service (“NPS”). NPS is working with

DDOT on a transfer of jurisdictional authority for this parcel, which is where the park’s

environmental education center, amphitheater, and kayak and canoe launch will be located. NPS

is requiring that the parcel’s official plat, to be submitted to the Surveyor’s Office, specify that

the land will be used for transportation and recreation purposes. DDOT has concluded that, under

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current law, the agency can only accept land designated for transportation – and not recreation –

purposes.

        (c) The Transportation Improvements Amendment Act of 2024, as introduced on March

1, 2024 (Bill 24-738) (“permanent bill”), would amend DDOT’s establishment act to allow the

agency to receive land that is designated for recreation purposes. The permanent bill was referred

to the Committee on Transportation and the Environment, and the Committee intends to markup

the measure prior to recess. However, without legislative authorization to receive the land,

DDOT is currently unable to move forward with solicitation for the project which may, in turn,

cause delays that create additional costs of the project.

        (d) The emergency legislation is necessary to avoid additional project costs by allowing

DDOT to receive a construction permit from NPS and begin solicitating for the project as the

Committee considers the permanent bill.

      Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute

emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Transportation Improvements Emergency

Amendment Act of 2024 be adopted after a single reading.

       Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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