Late last week, my neighbors on 33rd St. woke up to find no parking signs plastered up an down the block. This is not a rare phenomenon. But what was particularly irksome was that the permit claimed the entire block for a whole month. This would be unprecedented. So I dug into the permit and here’s what I found.
First of all, while the permit is good for 30 days, my understanding is that it will be a moving project and once they are done with a block, the restrictions will be removed. It looks like they are going to take about 3-4 days a block, which is a pain, but is far better than 30 days. Also, while the restrictions are post on both sides, it looks like the work is mostly on the east side and they are not demanding cars be moved from the west side of the street.
So the parking restrictions are annoying but not the end of the world. But what is really irking me (and anyone I mention this to) is that this work is involving digging a trench. But this trench is getting dug in a street that just was repaved last year!! This is such a wasteful destruction of public infrastructure. But surely it’s for a good cause?
Eh, about that. This is what it’s for:
It’s for a slightly upgraded business internet service. That’s it. Our streets were nicely repaved just last year, but that gets to be thrown into the dumpster because AT&T wants to make a buck.
Looking through permits, this work has been going on across the city. This particular job appears to be heading up 33rd St. and spreading on Volta and Q. It may spread beyond that in Georgetown, and I’m digging for answers on that question.
And it’s not just our nicely paved streets that AT&T is being allowed to vandalize. As part of the digging, they spray paint all the sewer and gas lines going into each house. So now our sidewalk and street look like this:
And, of course, they only just replaced all these bricks a year or two ago. So these neon lines will be with us for a long time.
I levied a complaint with DDOT for this wasteful practice. They acknowledged that they are supposed to coordinate work like this with plans for repaving. But “it just fell through the cracks”. Of course, falling through the cracks doesn’t apparently lead to any consequences for the massive telecom company. Only residents and taxpayers.
I will be asking AT&T to come before the ANC and explain this work, why we had zero notice, and how much more of it we’re going to have to endure. I’ll keep you posted on that.
The Georgetown Metropolitan 
I’m just wondering whether it might have been the city, rather than AT&T, that let it fall through the cracks? In any case, wouldn’t AT&T have to pay all the costs?