With so much attention focused on the 15th Street protected contraflow bike lane, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that this is just the first of several low cost separated bike lanes that DDOT is looking to install around the District. Apparently the Department is examining similar facilities on L Street and M Street near the Ballpark. Details on the latter of these two options are just coming coming to light. The plan for M Street involves a two-way facility between 6th Street, SW and 11th Street, SE that is quite a bit more ambitious than the completed 15th Street project.

The road(pictured above) is literally the main street for near southeast and the ballpark district. It passes two metro stops on different lines, comes within a block of the stadium and several development projects already underway, and connects two disparate sections of the Anacostia Riverfront Trail. It would be the only major east-west bicycle route in the District south of the National Mall. Such a prominent facility would go a long way towards promoting the visibility of biking in the region. JD Land did an excellent job of covering the alternative options for M Street and the salient issues that need to be worked through before the project can begin. Preliminary estimates peg the project’s costs just over $400,000.