January 17, 2003
Golden Triangle BID and DDOT Complete Streetscape Improvement
The Golden Triangle Business Improvement District (BID) and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) are completing the second phase of a comprehensive $600,000 streetscape improvement project with the installation of 424 black signal heads to match the color of the already-painted poles in the Connecticut and K Street, NW, area.
The new black signal heads, which are the ‘red-yellow-green’ traffic regulators, will complete the transformation of the poles and create a seamless, aesthetically pleasing and functional look in the public space of the 38-block BID area. The full-scale makeover of such a significant space in the Central Business District is the first of its kind and is leading to a new streetscape standard.
The Golden Triangle funded this streetscape improvement project in its entirety. The first phase of the project began in the fall of 2002 with the painting of the poles. It is being performed by DDOT to District specifications.
“This is a prime example of the type of public/private partnership that we pursue throughout the District,” said Dan Tangherlini, Director of Transportation for the District.
“The entire project gives the streets of the Golden Triangle a significant face-lift that enhances the image of the BID and our entire city,” says BID President Steven Gewirz of Potomac Investment Properties.
The $300,000 pole painting project included priming and conditioning all the poles in the BID to produce a professional finish; each pole received two coats of professional-grade paint to help protect against wear and tear for up to ten years reducing maintenance costs to the District. The poles were painted black in accordance with city streetscape standards and to present a unified and coherent image of public spaces across the entire downtown area. Work on this phase of the project was completed in three months.
“No other area of the city has produced results of this magnitude in such a short time span,” says Gewirz. “The timely and efficient completion of this project speaks well of the quality of the BID’s staff and the relationships we have built with the city and contract workers over our five year history.”
The Golden Triangle BID’s primary focus is to provide a clean, safe and friendly environment by promoting good public space management and economic development. Privately funded by property owners, it is the second largest BID in the District representing more than 8,000 businesses and 27 million square-feet of office and retail space.
