More than a month into spring, Lincoln Park remains partially inaccessible, as what was declared a 45-day construction project last fall creeps to a finish following months of delay.

Sidewalks and curbs at Lincoln Park, which is owned and maintained by the National Park Service (NPS), have long been cracked and separated, says Frank Young, chief of maintenance for National Capital Parks-East. This detracts from the aesthetics of the park and creates tripping hazards for visitors.

Conditions are “not reflective of the cultural resource that the park represents,” says Young.

So, in October 2007, NPS announced – after fences had already been erected around approximately one third of the park – that sidewalks and curbs in the western section, near the Emancipation (Lincoln) Statue, would be quickly repaired, replaced or newly installed.

“The contract period is for 90 days,” Young said then. “However, we anticipate the project taking less than half that time.” In January, with fences still in place but little work visible, community members were told that a new contract period – extended due to a “change in base materials” -- would end on Feb. 18, at which time all work would be complete. More recently, April 30 has been offered as the completion date.

Neighbors reported long stretches throughout late 2007 and early 2008 when no work was completed and no workers on site. Young blames cold weather – during which concrete cannot be poured – for much of the delay. He also acknowledges that “we did lose out on some good weather,” due to the change in materials and resultant contract modification.

“The work project at Lincoln Park has been badly handled,” says Ward 6 Councilmember Tommy Wells. “This is an important park for our neighborhood and the National Park Service seems to have been inept in restoring the areas needing repair.”

Track and Path Blocked
During the six months of construction and delays, awkward – sometimes dangerous – situations have been developing where fencing blocks both the track and a major path through the park. There, runners and exercise walkers are funneled onto sidewalks outside the construction zone. Parents accompanying small children, adults pushing strollers, kids on bicycles and others who would ordinarily be going through the park all compete for the same pavement.

“Inevitably there will be a jogger jam where the sidewalk is narrowed,” says Kate Williamson, who jogs with her son several times a week. Often, she says, “a fellow jogger will have to dodge nearly into the street to avoid me and my jogging stroller – with traffic zooming around the park, it is dangerous.”

Williamson is grateful “to those who have risked their lives so [she] and the ‘ginourmous’ stroller can stay on the teeny sidewalk.”

Some Lincoln Park regulars – especially those for whom running on concrete is a problem – have made other arrangements during the construction. Richard Lukas, on the other hand, has jogged in the park for about four years and says the construction, “though lengthy, has not been much of a hindrance.” He does note the “bunching” on the western edge but finds that “the park still serves as a safe space for running without having to stop at traffic signals.”
But Williamson is “ready for those fences to come down.”

Phase Two?
As the weather improves and more people come to the park with Frisbees® and volleyballs and blankets, congestion is increasing in the two-thirds of usable park space. Neighbors have lived with what most call an “eyesore” for six months and had their activities limited by the construction. Many are wary of more months of the same. Still, park users would like to see additional improvements and repairs.

Lukas would like to see the large NPS notice boards – which are currently under lock and key – more useful for the community. Eyonda McCoy – parent of a toddler who enjoys the play areas – hopes to see the playing field, alternately a mud-puddle or a dust plain these days, improved. She would also like to see the remaining walkways repaired, so the park “will be a safe and beautiful place to play.”

The children's play areas, on the east end of the park, are not directly affected by phase one construction; cracked sidewalks and curbs remain in this area. Dog owners, who traditionally gathered around the Emancipation Statue, have shifted to areas which remain open, including the field and central walkways, also in need of repair.