The D.C. Department of Transportation and 25 regional police and transportation agencies will carry out a limited test of emergency traffic signal timing patterns Tuesday evening as hundreds of thousands of holiday visitors are leaving the city.
The test comes one week after city police and transportation officials were criticized for inadequate response and communication during three days of gridlock after massive signal outages and road closures following last weekend’s rain.
The planned traffic signal tests will be conducted on selected emergency/evacuation routes from the National Mall to the Beltway. The test will commence approximately 15 minutes after the conclusion of the fireworks and run for 60 minutes. Regional message boards will be activated and the District’s Highway Advisory Radio (1650 AM) will broadcast information to notify travelers the test is in progress.
“This exciting operation is another step forward for us in emergency transportation planning,” said Michelle Pourciau, acting director of DDOT. “For the second year in a row, we’ll learn how traffic and pedestrians are affected following a major event, and how our transportation systems work during an emergency. DDOT will use the results to plan and execute larger scale tests of emergency transportation plans.”
The city’s evacuation plans hinge on Pennsylvania Avenue, which becomes the separating point for eastern and western sections of the city. Should an emergency evacuation be called, signals and police would direct drivers west of the street to different emergency routes than drivers in the eastern portion of thecity, officials said.
The Pennsylvania/Constitution/Independence corridor was a major choke point following last week’s flooding and electricity outages. D.C. Police 1st District Cmdr. Diane Groomes, who acknowledged problems with police response last week, said that should an emergency evacuation be called Tuesday, the same problems should not occur.
“Last week we were did not have a single plan and our response was changing by the hour as signals along Constitution and other streets were turned on and off minute by minute,” Groomes said. “It was going from a minor emergency to a major problem dozens of time every day. In an evacuation situation, we will not fluctuate. It will be treated as a major emergency until we have everyone off of city streets.”
