The River School is an independent school in Washington, DC with a legacy of ensuring an inclusive educational experience for children with hearing loss. The DC traffic engineering team at Wells + Associates was engaged by the River School to prepare a Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR) that included an analysis of the traffic impact of the school on the surrounding roadway network.

Founded in 1999, the River School has become an internationally acclaimed model for teaching and learning. In addition to its core academic program enrolling students from 18 months through third grades, the School also includes a clinic that supports children and their families with a range of services aimed at optimizing the outcomes of children with hearing loss. The clinic primarily serves children enrolled at the School and alumni, but also offers specialized services to others throughout the greater DC area.

In order to further its mission, the River School will be relocated from its current location in the Palisades neighborhood to a new campus at 4220 Nebraska Avenue NW in the AU Park neighborhood. The proposed campus will allow the school to expand its enrollment to incorporate Grades 4 through 6 into its curriculum.

W+A prepared a Comprehensive Transportation Review (CTR) that included an analysis of the traffic impact of the school on the surrounding roadway network. Taking into account feedback from the Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC), W+A worked with the River School and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to develop a comprehensive package of transportation improvements to accommodate the proposed school, including physical roadway improvements, a Transportation Demand Management Plan, an Operations Management Plan, and a Performance Monitoring Plan.

Wells + Associates also conducted a detailed queuing analysis to determine the queuing capacity required to accommodate the pick-up/drop-off operation on-site. W+A then worked with the project architect, landscape architect, and civil engineer to design the campus circulation.

DC traffic engineer Jami Milanovich provided expert testimony before the Board of Zoning Adjustment (BZA). The BZA unanimously approved the application in November 2021.

All images courtesy: Shalom Baranes Associates