The Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D voted unanimously to oppose the construction of a new traffic light on Nebraska Avenue at a June 1 meeting.
The traffic light, which would be placed halfway between the existing traffic lights on Nebraska Avenue at Ward Circle and New Mexico Avenue, was proposed under AU’s Campus Plan. The crosswalk would allow students living on the proposed East Campus, what is now the Nebraska Parking Lot, to safely cross the street.
AU Chief of Staff David Taylor and Assistant Vice President of Facilities Development and Real Estate Jorge Abud presented the crosswalk proposal and other Campus Plan revisions at the ANC meeting.
ANC 3D Commissioner Tom Smith said he believes the proposed traffic light would create congestion, raise a number of safety issues and back up traffic on Nebraska Avenue.
Tyler Sadonis, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, attended the ANC meeting and said the traffic light is necessary for safety purposes.
“The ANC can’t favor just the neighbors or just the students when it comes to decisions,” he said. “They need to consider that students need that traffic light for safety.”
Smith and his fellow commissioners are also wary of AU’s plans to rent out retail space in three of the buildings on the East Campus.
“New stores would attract people coming from outside the community, which would create more traffic issues,” he said.
The ANC commissioners decided at the meeting not to vote for or against the Campus Plan as a whole because they agreed with some parts of the plan and opposed other parts of the plan.
They opposed the traffic light on Nebraska Avenue and extending Reeves Field bleachers, for example, but approved AU’s decision to cap total enrollment at 13,600 students.
Members of the AU administration will present the revised Campus Plan to the D.C. Zoning Commission on June 9 and June 23.
