DC Streetcar System

I haven't forgotten posting... far far from it.  I've been trying to advance my alignments in PG County, particularly working out some kinks down near National Harbor.  I may try and get those out as part of my next published alignments.  In the interim, I just through the master-planned DC Streetcar system into Google Maps/Earth, presented here for your amusement.  I'm going to start working on reconciling this system with my Maryland system tonight, as well as making some changes to my Silver Spring alignment per Dan's comments, and will hopefully make some more headway on my alignments down near the Woodrow Wilson Bridge & National Harbor.


View DC Streetcars.kmz in a larger map

The DC Streetcar system was designed as per DDOT's .pdf available at:

http://ddot.dc.gov/ddot/frames.asp?doc=/ddot/lib/ddot/masstransit/streetcar/maps/map_futurealignments.pdf

Color-coding roughly follows the colors used in the above .pdf file.

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UPDATE, 2009/10/26

I just consolidated the DC Streetcar System with my transit system.  Here are the extensions that came out of it:



View DC Streetcar Extensions.kmz in a larger map


From top-left & clockwise around... there's first my extension of the two lines into Woodley Park.  One caveat is that the station remains on Calvert Street, creating a disconnect from the Metro Station.  Granted, it's not a far walk at all (and certainly shorter than the walk to the Zoo); but it's a disconnect nonetheless.  It's next stop would be at the National Cathedral, where it intersects with Wisconsin Ave.  It continues on to American University, Spring Valley, Ft Bayard Park, and Friendship Heights Metro -- where it continues on as my previously-posted Connecticut Ave alignment.



Extending along the K Street Line, a turn onto Wisconsin Ave takes it northward through Georgetown and past its thus-named university.  It'd next stop at the National Cathedral w/ the last paragraph's line.  It'd keep northward to tie into Tenleytown, with a potential continuation along Nebraska Ave until its termination at the Rock Creek Park.


The next around isn't terribly different from DDOT's own intentions, if indeed it differs at all.  Instead of terminating at Takoma Park, it's rerouted to continue up to Silver Spring Metro -- a hub of a massive amount of other transit lines.  Just as well, because navigating Aspen St and 4th St is not a particularly easy task.


The extension of the line along Michigan Ave -- proposed to terminate at the Brookland / CUA Metro Station, would instead take it up to West Hyattsville.  While this isn't a big jump between Metro lines, it does pick up a lot of infill ridership.  West Hyattsville is also a transfer point to one of my circumferential lines.


The extension to the alignment along Rhode Island Ave didn't take much imagination: I just bring it a nudge further into Mount Rainier to link into the same circumferential route mentioned in my last paragraph.  It could continue on eastward along said circumferential route, taking it toward Bladensburg.


On the south end, I altered the alignments approaching Bellevue by way of MLK, instead shifting them onto 4th St.  This was because Bellevue is bound in by I-295 to the west, and shifting eastward picks up more folks in that direction.  Bellevue is still pretty close to 4th St.  On the west side of I-295 runs the Anacostia Streetcar to pickup the barracks of the military bases, and it then curves east along the south side of Bellevue.  Improved ped/bike amenities could ensure Bellevue is well-served, given the presence of transit on all sides of its periphery.  These alignments rejoin at the border and head south along MD 210, where they immediately merge into my alignment out of Suitland Metro, destined southward to National Harbor and ultimately on to Indian Head.