This project was dropped from the approved fy2004 CIP budget. Without funding the project will not be pursued until re-proposed. Full public notice and hearings will be held if the concept is again pursued.

Text of letter on Fleet St. motion.

At our June 12 General Meeting, we revisited the subject of the Fleet Street Extension project. An animated discussion ensued, mostly about contrued traffic conditions and resulting neighborhood impacts. At the culmination of this discussion, a motion was proposed: "We oppose the Fleet Street Extension project until the City presents thorough design and traffic study to identify impacts." This motion carried by a large majority vote. Officers will convey this resolution to City Hall [see text of letter at above link].

A straw poll on the subject of the Fleet St. Extension project was conducted at our National Night Out Party, August 7^th. The poll asked simply whether respondents either supported or opposed the concept of this road connection. The voting results were exactly split between those favorable and opposed.

The Fleet Street Extension is a road building project along the eastern edge of the Hungerford Neighborhood. It involves building a four lane roadway for one block between Mt. Vernon Place and Ritchie Parkway (behind Ritchie Center Plaza and running parallel to East Jefferson Street). This road extension would continue the existing Fleet Street roadway from downtown, connecting it with the current Fleet Street stub off Wootton Parkway. It essentially will connect downtown with Wootton Parkway via this one roadway. This project has been in City master planning for many years and has appeared in many City CIP budgets in outer years. The City recently announced its intention of moving ahead quickly with the project. Apparently, City Hall wants to capitalize on a number of current funding sources (reducing the public cost; other sources include roadway contributions from the Sandy Spring bank building, Marlo Furniture, and the County Schools--as part of the RMHS rebuilding). Also, this is a relatively less expensive road improvement that can contribute to easing traffic congestion in the near-Pike and downtown areas.

Historically, the Hungerford neighborhood has opposed this infrastructure project. The reasons for opposition include neighborly concern for impact on residences along East Jefferson Street, concern about increased traffic flows and pedestrian isolation from the Pike, and if this roadway ever connects further with the southern portion of East Jefferson Street, this could effectively widen the Rockville Pike corridor bringing commercial rebuilding and heavy traffic flow impacts into the neighborhood. However, increasing numbers of residents now view this road improvement more favorably. One change in the nearby cityscape is the opening of Wootton Parkway. This offers a new potential for this road connection to effectively route traffic around the neighborhood, reducing cut-through trips with related speeding and traffic volume.

Presently, neighborhood opinion appears evenly divided. Assoc. officers attempted to discern a consensus opinion at our February 22 General Meeting and informally throughout the spring. A hand vote survey of those attending the June 16 Walking Town Meeting was exactly split. Therefore, this Assoc. has been unable to speak on this subject with the authority of majority support, and therefore has not done so (only identified the apparent even division). Until an actual majority opinion is discernable (for or against), this will remain the policy of this Assoc. Individual residents are encouraged to express their opinions to the Assoc. (via its officers) and at City Hall. Lack of active opposition by the neighborhood probably constitutes acquiesence to the City's announced intention to go ahead with the road building.

See also: