If you’ve gone by the C & O Canal this past week, you’ve probably noticed an abnormal amount of construction work going on.  That’s because the D.C. Department of Transportation just began a three year project to replace three of the canal’s 109-year-old bridges.

Each bridge is slated to take a year’s worth of construction.  DDOT is starting with the bridge at 30th Street, and will later be fixing those on Thomas Jefferson Street and 29th Street, according to DDOT’s Denis D’Arbela.  The project will cost about $6 million in local and federal funds overall, according to the Washington Post.

Because the bridges are so old, they are going to be completely torn down and replaced, D’Arbela explained.

“I wouldn’t say the current bridge is dangerous,” Aaron Golds (COL ‘11), who represents the University in Georgetown’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission, said. “Crossing the bridge now is fine. They could do the construction now, or wait. In five or ten years, it could eventually become a problem. I don’t know that for a fact, but I think the bridge is not in very strong condition.”

According to Golds’ fellow ANC Commssioner Bill Starrels, the project has been going smoothly so far.

Reporting by Lillian Kaiser.

Additional seating: A true menace to society

The real fireworks at last night’s meeting were over the proposed moratorium on additional seating for restaurants in the Georgetown Court complex near the intersection of Prospect St. and Wisconsin Ave. The complex houses seven successful restaurants (such as Cafe Milano, Bangkok Bistro and Morton’s) and is one of the few areas in Georgetown not subject to the liquor license moratorium.

When Morton’s recently applied for additional seating, the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board approved the request despite neighbors’ protestations, but said that it would “entertain a motion for a moratorium on additional seats,” according to ANC Commissioner Bill Starrels.

Starrels and Karen “Cookie” Cruse, a member of the Citizen’s Association of Georgetown’s Board of Directors, argued at last night’s meeting that the area is already “over-saturated” and that neighbors are tired of spending time fighting every request for more seats.

Robert Elliott, Georgetown Court’s landlord, countered that the alleged complaints about lack of parking and traffic problems are exaggerated and that the ANC and neighbors would still have input into future seating expansions even without a moratorium. Elliott also raised objections to the fact that he was only presented with the nine page text of the proposed moratorium 90 minutes before the ANC meeting started, despite asking for it a week ago and offering to collaborate on it.

ANC Chair Ron Lewis was dismissive of Elliott’s complaints, telling him that he was just “throwing sand in our eyes.”

“I know nothing I say here is going to affect what you do,” Elliott replied. “You could’ve called me. I don’t think you should’ve had this document put together in private. I don’t think that’s right.”

Elliott was at least partially correct—his objections didn’t have much of an impact on the ANC. They voted 4—1 to co-sponsor the moratorium with CAG, with Georgetown University student rep Aaron Golds (COL ‘11) casting the lone vote of opposition.

After the jump: We finally get around to replacing 109-year-old bridges and Tackle Box proves no match for Cookie Cruse.

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The people who run the Georgetown Canal have noticed you’re getting fat, and they’ve come up with a solution: guided walking tours of the canal, with prizes. You can wreck the process, though, by cheating like a fiend.

You see, prizes are awarded to whoever walks the most miles, but the score is based on an online spreadsheet. There’s nothing keeping you from winning the tennis shoes, park service badge, or whatever they’re handing out. [Ed. note: I don't trust Will as far as I can throw him]. I doubt this guy will be waiting for you at the end of each 30 minute walk.

If robbing senior citizens of their plaudits isn’t your thing, marvel at the canal administrators’ loose definition of what it means to “walk” something. If you walk all 7 weeks, you’ll have walked 185 miles. That means big things, apparently: “Why 185 miles? The C&O Canal NHP actually runs 185 miles from Georgetown all the way to Cumberland, MD. If your team walks 185 miles in the next seven weeks, you can say you walked the entire Canal!”

That seems like a gross exaggeration of your achievement. I’ve swam a good amount in my life, but I don’t say I’ve swam the entire English Channel.

-Will Sommer, blog editor. Flickr photo from user Absolutwade