Letter
Dear Mr. Teirkari:
During its meeting of 16 October, the Commission reviewed the Federal Highway Administration's submission for the final selection of paving materials for the redesign of Pennsylvania Avenue between 15th and 17th Streets, NW, in front of the White House, and for Madison and Jackson Places, NW, to the east and west of Lafayette Square. The members found the granites selected for the monumentally sized pavers in the roadway and sidewalks to be appropriate for the avenue, whereas the aggregate paving material and the aggregate paving blocks were not acceptable. Both samples shown had a rather unpleasant color and coarse texture and, as we were informed, are still undergoing development to determine their final formula. Perhaps the mix, as suggested, could be made to appear less earth-like and brighter, having the appearance of a crushed stone surface which would be a better complement to the granite paving blocks.
In addition, without a plan of the avenue clearly indicating the locations of the different materials proposed during the presentation, the members were at a loss to envision the relationships and adjacencies of the different materials on the avenue. Having a clear detailed paving plan will be key to determining the appropriateness of each material. With the next submission, please forward a detailed, rendered paving plan.
The Commission looks forward to further review of this project as the final materials are developed. If additional test samples of the aggregate paving are installed elsewhere, we would appreciate the opportunity to conduct a site inspection. Please coordinate with the staff and, as always, they are available should you or the design team require guidance.
Sincerely,
/s/
Donald A. Caproccia
Vice Chairman
Mr. Alan T. Teirkari
Federal Highway Administration
U.S. Department of Transportation
Eastern Federal Lands Highway Division
21400 Ridgetop Circle
Sterling, VA 20166-6511
cc: Michael Van Valkenburgh, MVV Assoc.Inc.
JackVanDopp,FHW
Dan Tangerlini, DC DOT
John V. Cogbill, III, Chainnan, NCPC
William Dowd, NCPC
Robert Baer, USSS