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NoMa Celebrates Trifecta of Successes: First Street, Sculpture and Bike to Work Day

Mayor to Attend Neighborhood Celebration Friday, May 16

Washington, D.C., May 14, 2014 – Hooray! The NoMa neighborhood is in celebration mode this week, as two long-standing projects wrap up just as hundreds bike to the neighborhood for Bike to Work Day. On Friday, May 16, NoMa BID will operate a busy pit stop for cyclists from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. on the grassy lot at Pierce and First Streets, NE, just across from the new cycle track on First Street.

Immediately following (and weather permitting) at the same location, Mayor Vincent C. Gray, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities Executive Director Lionell Thomas, and other dignitaries will enjoy cake, champagne and a brief ceremony at 10 AM, and cut the ribbon on the new First Street, NE project. At 10:30 AM, Mayor Gray will walk north to 1200 First Street, NE and cut a ribbon on a new sculpture.

Please see below for detailed information about each event.

First Street, NE Opens to Two-Way Traffic

First Street, NE is nearly finished! By Friday, the street will once again be open to two-way traffic after a year-long rejuvenation project led by the District Department of Transportation. The reconstruction created a protected cycle track on First Street, NE, upgraded underground infrastructure, added stormwater catch basins, installed bio-retention stormwater swales, realigned sidewalks, enlarged tree boxes, added new crosswalks, installed new traffic lights and street lamps, and landscaped the public space adjacent to unfinished parcels.

“First Street will now be a wonderful new space for pedestrians, cyclists, dogs and drivers, and we are excited about the great new green spaces and cycling amenities that are included,” said NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper. “I’d like to extend a special ‘Thank You’ to DDOT for compressing this project to just one year from its original two-year timeline. With free outdoor WiFi, our new sculpture, and the coming improved plazas and parks, NoMa will soon have a bevy of great new public spaces.”

The First Street celebration from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM is weather permitting.

Sculpture Adorns First & M Intersection

A new sculpture now adorns the First and M intersection, thanks to generous support from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, the NoMa Business Improvement District, and Principal Real Estate Investors. The structure was selected through a public design competition and awarded to NADAAA, a Boston-based multidisciplinary design firm. The piece, entitled “Torqued Tensility,” activates the street, engages pedestrians and creates a strong icon and reference point for the neighborhood.

The 31-foot-tall installation is comprised of four steel tubes held in compression by cables, and anchored in three locations on a raised concrete plinth. The plinth acts as seating, and also contains uplighting for the sculpture. Thin stainless steel wires are laced between the compressive tubes, bypassing each other so no two wire “surfaces” intersect. NoMa BID oversaw fabrication and installation.

Representatives from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities will attend Friday’s ribbon-cutting at the sculpture at 10:30 AM, including Executive Director Lionell Thomas and Chair Judith Terra. This event is weather permitting.

 

NoMa Holds Bike to Work Day Pit Stop for Hundreds of Cyclists

Don’t miss the NoMa pit stop Friday, May 16, from 7:30 AM to 9:30 AM! More than 450 people registered for the NoMa stop, and 15,000 people throughout the region plan to bike to work Friday. The NoMa pit stop will be located at the grassy lot at First and Pierce Streets, NE adjacent to 1100 First Street, NE, and will feature free food and beverages from Tynan Coffee & Tea and Roti Mediterranean Grill. Participating bike and transportation gurus include: BicycleSPACEthe Daily RiderMetropolitan Washington Council of GovernmentsRidescout, and WABA, who will be on hand to answer all your biking queries. A brief program at 8:45 AM will include: NoMa BID President Robin-Eve Jasper, MWCOG Executive Director Chuck Bean, and College Park, Md., Councilmember Patrick L. Wojahn.

This event is rain or shine. All pit stops will be open, so please bring your rain gear.

Bike to Work Day is organized by Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) as a way to encourage an eco-friendly lifestyle. Special thank you to Tishman Speyer for use of the field.

About NoMa
NoMa is a vibrant, growing neighborhood nestled between Union Station, the U.S. Capitol, Shaw, and the H Street, NE corridor in Washington, D.C. Over the last several years, private developers have invested more than $5 billion in the 35-block area within the NoMa BID boundary, and have plans to develop more than 16 million square feet of additional office, residential, hotel, and retail space. With a capital investment of $50 million from the District government in 2013, NoMa will soon have great new parks and public spaces as well. NoMa is home to more than 3,800 terrific new apartments, and more than 40,000 people work here each day. NoMa is the most connected neighborhood in Washington, D.C.  With unparalleled transportation access on Amtrak, VRE, MARC, two Red Line Metro stops, and vehicular access to Interstate 395, visitors, workers and residents can easily travel throughout the region as well as get to New York or anywhere on the East Coast. NoMa has a WalkScore of 92 and offers great biking facilities, including free outdoor air pumps, the East Coast’s only Bikestation, the 8-mile Metropolitan Branch Trail, and seven Capital Bikeshare stations. The NoMa BID organizes more than 50 free award-winning community events each year, connecting more than 20,000 friends and neighbors. For more information about NoMa, visit nomabid.wpengine.com and sign up for our bimonthly newsletter. Follow us on Twitter @NoMaBID and like us on Facebook.

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For immediate release

News media contact:

Rachel Davis

202-997-3846

[email protected]

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