Update: The Department of General Services (DGS) announced Monday morning at 10 a.m. that the borings will be postponed due to inclement weather. The tests will be re-scheduled for the near future. The Hill Rag will report the date when it becomes available.
Original posting:
On Friday, Dec. 28, DGS announced that the geotechnical borings for the Eastern Market Metro Park (EMMP) project will begin on Monday, December 31, in the project area.
The borings are part of infiltration tests conducted on site as part of stormwater management assessment process and are part of the work necessary to prepare the site for construction.
The sites on the map (above) labeled “IF-2” will be completed at a later date, but all other borings will all be completed in a one-day operation on Monday. DGS said an effort would be made so that work will not be unduly disruptive. They apologized for the short notice, noting they wanted to take advantage of their ability to mobilize the subcontractor for this timeframe.
Metro service is not expected to be affected at this time, although an unrelated police investigation impacted train service on the orange and blue lines Monday morning. Service was suspended at Eastern market and Metro Center Stations shortly after 10 a.m.
Councilmember Charles Allen (D-Ward 6) secured a total investment of $7.1 million for the project over the last two budget cycles, paving the way for DGS to begin the design-build process. In September, construction company Keystone Plus and architects Moya Design Partners were selected to join the Design Build Team (DBT). The goal is to finalize drawings for permitting by the end of the winter, allowing construction to begin in August or September of 2019.
In early December DGS and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) participated in two meetings to discuss designs for the project. The first was held on Dec. 10th with the Community Advisory Team and the second three days later with the broader community.
The DGS design team will continue to work with residents, as well as federal and district agencies, to refine drawings for permit applications, expected to take place in Spring/Summer 2019 with construction in Winter 2019-20.
Learn more about the project and see public presentations from the Design Team by visiting https://dgs.dc.gov/page/eastern-market-metro-park-project. Take the online survey until Jan. 18 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EasternMarket.
Contact Eastern Market Metro Park Project Managers via email: Cassidy Mullen Cassidy.mullen@dc.gov, and Lisa Dixon lisa.dixon@dc.gov
