The District Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) proposal to implement newly configured bicycle lanes on 11th Street south of I Street SE has drawn criticism from bicycle advocates. Critics who say the ancillary redesign of bike lanes will create dangerous conditions for cyclists and turning vehicles. That’s despite DDOT’s presentation of plans as “Vision Zero” safety improvements.
The changes to bike lanes are part of the D4 Ramp Project. That project which stems from long-planned interchange work on links to the Interstate 695 corridor to account for changes in traffic patterns since the construction of the 11th Street Bridge. According to planning documents, the project would widen the eastbound D-4 off-ramp from three lanes to five lanes while adding a multiuse trail and streetscape improvements near Virginia Avenue SE.
“Safety is the #1 consideration,” DDOT writes on the project site.
The focal point of the criticism is the intersection of 11th Street and I Street SE. North of the intersection are unprotected bike lanes located on either side of the street traveling in opposite directions. 
DDOT is proposing a two-way bike lane on the south side of the intersection which would force cyclists headed north to cross the intersection twice. At the same time, cyclists heading south across I Street would merge onto a two-way cycling track, even as vehicles attempt a turn. It could become particularly agitated during rush hour, board member of community cycling organization Hill Family Biking (HFB), Mark Sussman, notes as commuters head for I-695.
“There’s no intersection in the District of Columbia, or in the region, as far as I know, that looks like this,” Sussman reported. The organization is advocating for protected bicycle infrastructure along 11th Street SE. They say 11th Street SE is a critical north-south connection between Capitol Hill, Navy Yard and the Anacostia River Trail network.
Bicycle advocates like Sussman argue that design forces northbound cyclists to leave a two-way cycle track and cross multiple lanes of turning traffic in order to continue north on 11th Street SE. That is a dangerous and unusually complex traffic movement for cyclists. “If you put this plan into place as planned today, someone will die,” Sussman said. “Someone will be critically injured or they will die.”
Sussman also disputed DDOT’s characterization of the project as a safety initiative. “If this was a Vision Zero project, it would not be presented by the DDOT highway team,” he said. “The left hand at DDOT is not talking to the right hand.” Sussman said. Advocates asked agency officials whether the highway division consulted with DDOT bicycle planners or Safe Routes to School staff during development of the project. “The answer was no,” Sussman reported.
HFB proposed the city install a two-way protected bike track along one side of 11th Street SE from East Capitol to the Riverwalk, introducing the idea at the June 2025 Capitol Hill Open Streets Event. More than 600 people have subsequently signed a petition in support of the idea.
Acknowledging the painted lanes, HFB argues that protected lanes would add separation and protection on a thoroughfare that provides access to and from i-695. Installation could be done without losing any parking, by merging the existing unprotected lanes into a two-way protected cycle track.
The group worked with transportation planner Christopher Forinash of Nelson\Nygaard, a transportation consulting firm involved in several Washington bicycle projects, to develop an alternative design extending protected infrastructure north to Lincoln Park, estimating that such a project would cost about $500,000.
An agency spokesperson told the HillRag that safety for all road users is the “top priority” on every project. Designs are reviewed across multiple teams including highway engineering, bicycle safety and pedestrian safety with a “Vision Zero lens” the spokesperson added, noting that the D4 ramp project includes “safety enhancements designed to improve conditions for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists.”
The District has “a long way to go” to achieve its Vision Zero goals, Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) Advocacy Director, Kalli Krumpos said. “In 2025 we’ve had an historic low of fatal crashes, but this year we are way ahead.”
For WABA, safety remains the top priority. “What we want to see is for DDOT to continue and to prioritize infrastructure that we know will keep you safe,” Krumpos said. “That would mean prioritizing safety improvements for the most vulnerable users, especially people walking and biking.”
Advocates are seeking council funding to extend the protected lane north of I Street. Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6/8F noted safety concerns with intersection at their April meeting. According to Sussman, ANCs 6A, 6B, the WABA and HFB are backing a joint request to the Council to request that DDOT move forward with plans for the full protected bike lane on 11th Street to East Capitol Street.
The groups have taken their appeal to Ward 6 Councilmember and Chair of the Council Committee on Transportation and the Environment Charles Allen (D). “He has been incredibly responsive and incredibly empathetic to the situation” Sussman said, “he’s trying to find the money, trying to pressure DDOT, pulling all the levers that he possibly can.”
Committee mark-ups took place after the conversation with Sussman and the draft budget $750,000 in funding for a two-way protected cycle track bike lane installation on 11th St, SE, from I St SE to Lincoln Park in FY2027. The funding, however, is not guaranteed. The council has yet to take a vote on the matter and has a budget work session is slated for May 27. The DC Council will consider the budget in sessions June 9 and June 23. Even so, it is not guaranteed that DDOT would include a protected bike lane in their planning process.
The agency has yet to issue a Notice of Intent (NOI), a prerequisite to any project. ANCs have the ability to comment on NOIs in their commission as do members of the public.
For advocates, the D4 Ramp plans has become part of a larger debate over whether DDOT is willing to build bicycle infrastructure designed for children and less experienced riders, even when doing so requires rethinking traffic engineering priorities around major roadways. “A lack of communication is not an excuse for someone to be killed,” Sussman said.
View the D4 Ramp Project Plans here. Learn more about Hill Family Biking and sign the petition at hillfamilybiking.org
Sarah Payne is a reporter for Capital Community News. She can be reached at sarahp@hillrag.com. With additional reporting from Elizabeth O’Gorek.
