Case file // Ward 3 // sidewalk_ada

Three years behind an expired permit.

The sidewalk on the 4600 block of Wisconsin Avenue NW has been fenced off for a construction site that has shown no activity in years. The only way past is a sheet of plywood in the roadway -- warped, splintered, and broken through at the curb. It is impassable in a wheelchair. The permit authorizing all of it expired on July 16, 2023.

Location: 4620 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Tenleytown, Washington, DC 20016
Ward: 3 // ANC 3E
Documented: August 14, 2026
Category: sidewalk_ada -- accessibility failure at a construction closure
Public space permit: P.10945986-R1 // WISCONSIN OWNER LLC // restricted dates 01/18/23 to 07/16/23 -- EXPIRED
311 tickets: 26-00278799 (closed as complete, falsely) // 26-00485677 (inspected, unresolved)

01What is on the ground

A sheet of plywood, splintered and broken through at its edge, sagging off the curb into the roadway between orange and white plastic barriers. The anti-slip tape has peeled away in strips. Behind it the sidewalk continues, fenced off. — 01 // The temporary ramp. The plywood has broken through at the curb edge and sags into the roadway. There is no continuous surface to roll across, and the broken edge leaves an unbridged drop.

Close view of the plywood ramp surface: multiple warped sheets meeting at uneven joints, yellow and black anti-slip tape peeled off in strips, laid over the gutter against a line of white plastic barriers. — 02 // The surface. Separate sheets meeting at uneven joints, the anti-slip tape mostly gone. Exposed fasteners along the seams -- the hazard is not only to wheelchair users.

Weathered, graffitied orange-and-white barricades and a SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD, CROSS HERE sign in front of a chain-link fence draped in black mesh, with a stalled multi-storey building behind it. — 03 // The closure. SIDEWALK CLOSED AHEAD / CROSS HERE. The barricades and the fence signage have weathered and been tagged -- the condition of the signs is itself a record of how long this has stood.

A hand-stenciled plywood placard reading 4620 WISCONSIN AVE, propped against an orange plastic barrier at the base of a chain-link fence, with the posted permit sign visible on the fence above it and weeds grown up around both. — 04 // The address, hand-stenciled on scrap plywood and propped against a barrier. The posted permit hangs on the fence directly above it. Weeds have grown up through both.

An Emergency No Parking public space permit sign zip-tied behind a chain-link fence, half obscured by leaves. It reads: Dates Restricted 01/18/23 to 07/16/23, Hours Restricted 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Location 4600-4699 Block of Wisconsin Avenue NW, construction staging area, permittee Wisconsin Owner LLC, permit P.10945986-R1. — 05 // The permit that authorizes the whole arrangement. **Dates restricted: 01/18/23 to 07/16/23.** It has been expired for more than three years, and the vegetation has grown over it.

02What happened when it was reported

May 8, 2026311 service request 26-00278799 filed on the closed sidewalk and the condition of the temporary ramp.
July 30, 2026DC closes 26-00278799 with a note stating that the work was completed. No work had been done. Nothing at the site had been touched.
August 14, 2026The site is revisited and photographed. The photographs on this page are from that visit. Service request 26-00485677 is filed, asking both for a repair and for an explanation of the false closure.
August 18, 2026DDOT acknowledges the report and says it will look.
August 24, 2026DDOT posts an inspection comment to the ticket and closes it. The comment is reproduced below.

DDOT has completed the inspection. There is a financial bond in place to restore the sidewalk and remove all barriers. This is a process that is ongoing. The previous owners of the building have filed bankruptcy. The property is in litigation and the building currently has no owner. The district department of transportation is working to return the sidewalk to the citizens. In its current state, the sidewalk is not safe to open. Your patience is greatly appreciated.
DDOT comment on service request 26-00485677 // August 24, 2026

03Why that answer does not close the case

Take the response at face value. A bond is posted, the previous owners are in bankruptcy, the property is in litigation, and no one currently owns the building. All of that is a real and sufficient explanation for why the permanent sidewalk has not been rebuilt. None of it is an explanation for the plywood.

The temporary pedestrian route is not waiting on a bankruptcy court. It is a maintained condition in public space, under the District's control today, and it can be rebuilt to a passable standard in an afternoon for the cost of materials. A closure that will last years is exactly the case where the temporary route matters most, not least.

The distinction the response misses The permanent sidewalk is blocked by litigation. The temporary ramp is blocked by nothing.

Three questions remain unanswered:

When does the temporary ramp get fixed? Not the permanent sidewalk -- the plywood, now.
Why was the first ticket closed as completed? A closure note asserting that work was done, when no work was done, is not a clerical slip. It ends the complaint, resets the clock, and forces the resident to start over. The person who reported this says it has happened to them repeatedly.
What is the timeline, and why is it not posted? Neighbours are asking about this block in public forums. A sign at each end stating what is happening and when the sidewalk returns costs almost nothing and answers the question for everyone who walks up to it.

04The standard that applies

A sidewalk closure does not suspend the right to walk down the street. Under the ADA and its implementing guidance, when a pedestrian route is closed for construction, an alternate accessible route must be maintained for the duration of the closure -- firm, stable, slip-resistant, of adequate width, and free of abrupt level changes. Warped plywood with a broken edge and peeling tape does not meet that standard for a wheelchair user, a walker user, a stroller, or anyone with low vision.

Occupancy of public space for construction staging is separately licensed under 18 DCMR 2405 and DDOT's public space permitting. That license is what expired on July 16, 2023. The barriers, the fence, and the closure have continued without it.

The ask Rebuild the temporary ramp and walkway to a passable standard now. Post a sign at both ends of the block with the reason for the closure and the expected date of restoration. And answer, in writing, why 26-00278799 was closed as complete.

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