Square 75/2100 Pennsylvania Ave Construction Updates

June 27, 2020
The utility work for new water connections in I Street that was to resume the week of June 15 is now slated to start Tuesday, June 30. The delays are a result of vehicles not complying with the no parking signs in areas of street where work will occur -- given these delays, enforcement will occur on any vehicles parked in violation of no parking signs related to this project. Given the continued presence of illegally parked cars, additional signage and notes are being placed on remaining illegally parked vehicles starting June 27 and any remaining cars will be towed the evening of Monday July 29 and until project is completed later in the week or early during the week of July 6.   

So as to limit traffic impacts, this work will occur between 7pm-4am with noisy work finished before 10 p.m. and will continue on Wed July 1 and Thurs July 2 -- if work is not completed, any remaining work will resume the evening of Monday July 6. There will be some elevated periods of noisy work during demolition/removal of concrete to expose work areas as well as digging, loading trucks and hauling. Night time work will conform with District regulations and will follow protocols put in place earlier this spring to minimize noise after 10 pm. The primary work area is east of the alley at the west end of I street (across from District House). Secondary work area is just west of the 21st Street intersection on I Street. Work will be in the middle of the street and traffic will be reduced to one lane with flagged traffic facilitated by the contractor.

June 11, 2020
All work continues on site without interruption from COVID-19 but this situation could change if there are government-imposed stop work orders or if construction companies decide to suspend work. 

In the past month, the crews have drilled all piles and now are focused on sheeting and shoring for excavation. 

Tower crane installations are anticipated  in mid-July and August and may require partial closing the 2100 block of Eye Street. Details regarding the installation procedure and duration are forthcoming and GW will work closely with the contractor to provide for safe vehicular and pedestrian passage along I Street during any installation activities.

The utility work for new water connections in I Street that was to resume the week of June 15 is now slated to start Tuesday, June 30. The delays are a result of vehicles not complying with the no parking signs in areas of street where work will occur -- given these delays, enforcement will occur on any vehicles parked in violation of no parking signs related to this project. Given the continued presence of illegally parked cars, additional signage and notes are being placed on remaining illegally parked vehicles starting June 27 and any remaining cars will be towed the evening of Monday July 29. So as to limit traffic impacts, this work will occur between 7pm-4am with noisy work finished before 10 p.m. and will continue on Wed July 1 and Thurs July 2 -- if work is not completed, any remaining work will resume the evening of Monday July 6.   

There will be some elevated periods of noisy work during demolition/removal of concrete to expose work areas as well as digging, loading trucks and hauling. Night time work will conform with District regulations and will follow protocols put in place earlier this spring to minimize noise after 10 pm. The primary work area is east of the alley at the west end of I street (across from District House). Secondary work area is just west of the 21st Street intersection on I Street. Work will be in the middle of the street and traffic will be reduced to one lane with flagged traffic facilitated by the contractor.

There may be intermittent scheduled water outages during the initial two weeks of nighttime work that will impact residents of Lafayette Hall and the District House. Water outages (typically less than 4 hours) will be communicated by DC Water – typically with 24-48 hour prior notices. These outages will allow for connections to be made with existing water lines and the installation of shut-off valves that will prevent the need for future water disruptions.  

Work to improve the 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project, is scheduled to begin in late June (at or around June 22nd) and is expected to last approximately six weeks, with an anticipated completion in early August. Some shifting of traffic lanes will occur; pedestrians and those in vehicles should be careful to adhere to signage and personnel who will be on-site to ensure safe vehicular and pedestrian access during the construction period. Access to the Ambulatory Care Center and parking will remain open for the duration of the work.

May 11, 2020
All work continues on site without interruption from COVID-19 but this situation could change if there are government-imposed stop work orders or if construction companies decide to suspend work. 

In the month of April, the team made progress as expected in the support of excavation. Major milestones completed in recent weeks include the alley bridge completion in front of the 2112 Penn parking garage and completion of tier 1 tiebacks along the alley. Currently, the support of excavation subcontractor is completing the remainder of tiebacks along Pennsylvania Avenue, allowing the mass excavation team to reach subgrade along the North side. The team will complete and open a hauling ramp in the site’s northeast corner that will serve as the final haul ramp for the project.

The utility work (new connections) in I Street continue to remain on indefinite hold until DC Water begins inspections and shutdowns again. Permits have been recieved to improve 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project, and work should begin in late June/early July and last approximately six weeks.  

April 20, 2020
All work continues on site without interruption from COVID-19 but this situation could change if there are government-imposed stop work orders or if construction companies decide to suspend work. The “bridge” installation work in front of the 2112 Penn Ave parking garage entrance began in late March and is anticipated for completion in coming weeks along with final tiebacks along Pennsylvania Avenue. Progress continue on excavation (SOE) and earthwork scopes - the crews have drilled all piles and now are focused on sheeting and shoring for excavation. The utility work (new connections) in I Street have been put on hold indefinitely until DC Water begins inspections and shutdowns again. Permits have been recieved to improve 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project, and work should begin in coming months.  

April 2, 2020
All work continues on site without interruption from COVID-19 but this situation could change if there are government-imposed stop work orders or if construction companies decide to suspend work. The “bridge” installation work in front of the 2112 Penn Ave parking garage entrance began in late March and is proceeding with traffic (both parkers and delivery trucks) able to navigate the alley without issue and flaggers directing traffic. Support of excavation continues as piles are currently being drilled on the east side of the public alley. Permits are still pending for the work to improve 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

March 25, 2020
All work continues on site without interruption from COVID-19 but this situation could change if there are government-imposed stop work orders or if construction companies decide to suspend work. Support of excavation continues as piles are currently being drilled on I Street and work will start on the east side of the public alley this week. Utility work (new connections) in I Street continues but there will be no night work this week. Permits are still pending for the work t 22nd and Eye Streets to enhance crosswalks. Permits are still pending for the work to improve 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

March 11, 2020
The crews have begun drilling piles for support of excavation and are currently working on I Street. After-hours and late-night work began the evening of Sunday March 8 per the direction of DC Water so as to not impact transportation routes and will continue intermittently nightly Sunday-Thursday with work concluding at 3 a.m. Extensive communications have been sent to students in residence halls in the vicinity of this work including efforts to mitigate noise impacts. Permits are still pending for the work to improve 22nd and Eye Streets intersection, an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

February 26, 2020
Please be advised that beginning as early as Wed/Feb. 26, the developer of the 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue project (Boston Properties) will begin utility work along the Eye Street side of the job site in front of District House and Lafayette Hall. Per DC guidelines, utility work (i.e. water, sewer, electric) must take place during the evening and late-night hours, to minimize impacts to utilities for surrounding buildings and to lessen its impact on traffic since work is taking place in the street.

For this week, work is expected on the evenings of Wed/Feb 26 and Thurs/Feb 27 beginning at 7pm. The team will  make every effort to perform the loudest work (concrete/asphalt/pipe saw cutting) during the daytime hours. However, some noisy work may be necessary in the evenings, and will begin as early as 7pm but be completed before 10pm. Less impactful work with minimal noise (digging up debris, loading trucks, hauling material away) will take place after 10pm and may last as late as 3am.
 

After this week, work will occur Sunday through Thursday evenings until late April when the project’s completion is anticipated. Please note that noisy work will not happen continuously throughout the project – there will be periods of time where no work will be taking place in the evenings or only minimally noisy work will occur. Additional details will be provided on a weekly basis to confirm what days, if any, will have evening noisy work during the next week.

Given the work will be occurring on Eye Street in the vicinity of District House and Lafayette Halls, the university has been working extensively with Boston Properties and their contractors to limit after-hours/late night impacts as much as possible and ensuring the project is completed by late April so as to not interfere with final exams and commencement.

In addition, Boston Properties has confirmed with GW they will actively work with DC utilities to effectively communicate and minimize the impacts of any temporary utility shut-offs or outages. Please note, DC utilities are in control of many aspects of this project and, for a variety of reasons, often implement last-minute schedule changes.

February 13, 2020
Mass demolition of the 2100 Pennsylvania structure was completed in late January, allowing support of excavation activities to begin and removal of remaining rubble onsite. The support of excavation and mass excavation will continue in the month of February. Work will begin on installing the temporary “bridge” in front of the 2112 Penn parking garage in late February. Pending final permits, work is anticipated to begin this winter/spring on improvements to the 22nd and I Street intersection - an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

January 21, 2020
Demolotion of 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue structure is largely complted with focus now on debris removal. Supportive excavation is anticipated to begin in early February and continue through spring. Pending final permits, work is anticipated to begin in coming weeks on improvements to the 22nd and I Street intersection - an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

January 6, 2020
Demolotion of 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue structure proceeds into February with main focus on remaining structure facing Pennsylvania Avenue and then interior core structure. Supportive excavation is anticipated to begin in early February and continue through spring. Pending final permits, work is anticipated to begin in coming weeks on improvements to the 22nd and I Street intersection - an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

November 29, 2019
Demolition activities commenced at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue on November 21 and will take place over coming months. Work began at the east end of the Eye Street facade and will work counter-clockwise toward 21st and then westward along Pennsylvania Avenue. Pending final permits, work is anticipated to begin in coming months on improvements to the 22nd and I Street intersection - an amenity related to the Zoning Commission approval for this project. 

November 11, 2019
Demolition activities have concluded at Rice Hall. Virtually all of the building has now been demolished and the ruble is being redistributed on site. Abatement of 2100 Penn is complete and demolition is expected to begin in coming days. Overhead protection has extended on Penn Avenue providing access to the bus stop at the corner of Penn Ave and 21st Street. These covered walkways have extended to the west (towards Flower Child/2112 Penn) and additional vertical protection has been installed at the party wall between 2100 Penn and 2112 Penn. Work should begin in near future on the 22nd and I Street intersection improvements.

October 28, 2019
Additional space in the curb lane and portion of the sidewalk at the West end of Pennsylvania Avenue (in front of the Flower Child restaurant) was reserved to create a controlled access zone for demolition activities being completed immediately adjacent to that area. A full building height demo shield was also erected at this location to limit any debris from cascading out into the public areas. In the month of October, significant progress was made on the mass demolition of Rice Hall. Debris from the building was crushed down and used to backfill the 2100 Penn basement. In November, additional equipment will be brought onsite to process material and prepare for mass demolition of the 2100 Penn building structure.

September 18, 2019
Boston Properties, the developer chosen by the university to redevelop 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue and Rice Hall (2121 Eye Street) into a new investment property featuring trophy commercial office and retail space, has received final approval to begin demolition of Rice Hall and anticipates this work will begin as early as next week/week of September 23. Work will occur between the hours of 7am-7pm Monday to Saturday with noise level being similar to recent work but likely higher in volume than recent work at 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue. Work will be starting in the north side of Rice Hall and working toward the south/I Street. Please note that this demolition is not anticipated to include controlled blasting and is anticipated to last  6-8 weeks. If you have questions or comments about these activities, please email [email protected]. 

August 26, 2019
Work to disconnect water lines in front of Rice Hall continued last week and will complete once DC Water provides a date for the actual cut/cap disconnect work to occur. A notification from DC Water to all affected buildings will be sent beforehand/once dates are confirmed. Abatement of 2100 Penn continues and weekend work will continue along Pennsylvania Avenue with a possible partial street closure.

August 14, 2019
Updates include the following:

Demolition work continues at Rice Hall.  Crews will return in coming weeks to coordinate a temporary off-hours outage to complete disconnection of water to Rice Hall.  

Abatement of 2100 Penn is in progress. During GW move-in weekend (Aug 24), work will transition to Pennsylvania Avenue, including closure of several lanes on the south side of the avenue (vehicle travel will still occur but is not expected to create impacts).

Site fencing has extended along 21st Street and will begin extending on Pennsylvania Avenue this week.

The sidewalk on Pennsylvania Avenue will remain open to provide access to the bus stop at the corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and 21st Street.

The sidewalk on 21st Street will remain closed throughout the project.

Installation of overhead protection in public alley is now complete.

August 2 & July 25, 2019
Boston Properties shared two updates on upcoming construction activity at Rice Hall and 2100 Penn. 

Rice Hall – Overhead Protection Installation (7/27 – 8/18) will occur per agreement with ANC 2A, the President Condo and GW's Medical Faculty Associates on Sat 7am-9pm (7-9 pm are after-hours) and Sun 7am-7pm (all after-hours). Work will start on 7/27 and is anticipated to end by Aug. 18 but could extend to 9/1 pending weather conditions -- if extended, work would not occur weekend of Aug. 24 when GW classes begin. 

2100 Penn – I Street Closure To facilitate demolition work of existing structures, partial street closures of Eye Street between the alley and 21st Street will occur Sat/July 25 & Aug 3 and potentially again on Aug 10 and/or 17 to facilitate a high-reach crane. Vehicular access will be blocked during this time but pedestrians will have access on the south sidewalk on I Street. For student move-outs at Lafayette Hall, there will be 2 designated areas (highlighted in green below) in front of District House and on 21st Street for loading/parking. After August 3/4 work, the sidewalk along 21st Street will be closed to pedestrian traffic.

July 15, 2019
Removal of fence in alley adjacent Rice Hall begins the week of July 15. In preparation for our future overhead protection in the alley, the green space east side fence will be removed and a new concrete pad created where the fence currently sits (this will serve as the future base for our overhead protection). Work is anticipated to occur July 17-22 between 9:30am-3:30pm during which half of the alley will be closed for traffic but parkers and delivery trucks will be able to pass and staff will be on hand to direct delivery truck and vehicular traffic. Additional updates will follow on overhead protection installation. Exterior Exploratory Work continues at 2100 Penn Ave on July 20 between 7am-7pm when portions of the exterior of the 2100 Penn building along the I street façade will be removed and work will occur on the building roof. To accommodate this work, the northern side of I Street remains closed to pedestrian traffic.

June 28, 2019 
Removal of the west side of the public alley sidewalk next to Rice Hall on July 1 & 2 from 9:30am-3:30pm. Since half of alley will be closed to traffic, flagger staff will be onsite to assist parkers and delivery trucks. 

Removal of the alley light pole on July 8 & 9 from 9:30am-3:30pm. Since half of alley will be closed to traffic, flagger staff will be onsite to assist parkers and delivery trucks. Temporary backup lights are installed on the west side of the Rice Hall building for nighttime lighting.

Construction fencing will begin installation on around 2100 Penn the second week of July. Pedestrian access will be maintained on Pennsylvania Avenue and 21st Street but I Street access will be redirected to the south side of the street.

As part of site preparation in advance of building demolition later this year, pieces of building exterior will be removed from several window bays on the 3rd floor of 2100 Pennsylvania Avenue. During this work period 7am - 3:30pm pedestrians will be diverted to the south side of I Street. Protective covering will be in place similar to what is place at Rice Hall.