D.C. to rebuild Northeast intersection

The District plans this month to begin a 17-month project to rebuild the busy intersection at Riggs Road and South Dakota Avenue NE in the Fort Totten area. At times, the work will reduce the road to a single lane in each direction.

The District Department of Transportation will assign traffic control officers to the intersection at rush hour and the signal timing will be adjusted, but commuters should still expect delays. Drivers who normally travel through this intersection could avoid it by taking Eastern Avenue, to the east of Riggs/South Dakota, or North Capitol Street, to the west of the intersection. They could then connect with New Hampshire Avenue to get around the work zone.

The District has several goals in rebuilding this intersection, which is not only busy and complicated, but also takes up a lot of land. The intersection will be rebuilt to make it safer for vehicles and pedestrians, all of whom have a tough time right now. And it will be redesigned -- with the long ramps gone and four crosswalks added -- so that the space becomes more accessible for development, which the District government wants to encourage in the area.

Construction is scheduled to begin at the middle of the month. Work hours will be 9:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. At first, the crews will be working in the median, and there will be some temporary lane closings. After a few weeks, concrete barriers will be in place, but drivers always will have at least one lane open in each direction.

Here's a map of the intersection.

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