The photo below, of an ongoing erosion problem on Albemarle Street at 32nd, doesn’t paint a pretty picture to begin with. There’s not much space between sidewalk users and a 40-foot drop-off into the Soapstone Valley. This photo was taken in January.
One substantial February snowstorm and snowmelt later, Connection contributor David Bardin found the “erosion is deeper and extends [another] inch or two under the sidewalk.” He snapped these photos on February 21st.
ANC Commissioner Mary Beth Ray has been among those concerned that the sidewalk (and any unlucky occupants) will meet an unfortunate end at the bottom of the Soapstone Valley one of these days, and has been reaching out to various agencies for nearly a year, hoping that the erosion will be addressed. The Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis took note of her efforts, saying this sidewalk “illustrates [a] Gordian knot of bureaucracy.”
In late January, DC Water worked to address its part of the problem, which is to prevent large volumes of storm runoff from puddling at that intersection, just east of Connecticut Avenue, during hard rains.
Now it’s time for DDOT, which owns this right-of-way adjacent to the park, to do its part.