The long-running battle over the future of Connecticut Avenue took another turn on Monday night, as the DC Department of Transportation released its initial plan for reconfiguring the road—without bike lanes, and with dedicated parking lanes.
The DDOT proposal, which memorializes an announcement made in April, would see a nearly three-mile span of Connecticut Avenue go from six lanes of thoroughfare traffic to four, with one combination parking/driving lane on either side of the road being converted into full-time parking space.
Elizabeth Kiker, the executive director of the Washington Area Bicyclists Association, tells Washingtonian she was “genuinely frustrated” at DDOT’s proposal. “Connecticut Avenue is a dangerous and fast moving street that everyone uses to get around,” Kiker says. “Prioritizing parking, after a three-year delay on the bike lanes that the community went through the entire process of, and were funded…it feels very discouraging.”
This section of Connecticut Avenue, stretching from just outside the Maryland border to the heart of Woodley Park, became the center of bike-lane debate in 2021, when DC Mayor Muriel Bowser announced her commitment to adding bike lanes on the thoroughfare. But in April, DDOT suddenly reversed course on bike lanes, removing them from its proposal.
A 2020 study by DDOT found that Connecticut Avenue had a higher crash rate from the years 2015 to 2019 than other major arterial roads in the District, particularly during rush hour, as the street had two reversible lanes of traffic during those time periods.
DDOT removed the reversible lanes in 2021, and in 2022, Connecticut Avenue saw 175 fewer crashes than in 2019, the last full year of traffic data available before the pandemic, according to DDOT data. However, crashes increased again in 2023, as the District overall saw its deadliest year for traffic fatalities since 2007.
DDOT’s proposal also includes designated left-turn lanes at some intersections, as well as expanded curbs, with the goal of increasing pedestrian visibility.
In May, DC Council Transportation Committee Chair Charles Allen signaled his support for withholding funds for safety improvements to Connecticut Avenue unless bike lanes were built. That language didn’t make it into DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson’s recent budget proposal, but the Council could have another opportunity to add it next week when it votes on the budget again, a spokesperson for Allen tells Washingtonian.
“DDOT’s clearly set on building a highway on Connecticut Ave. It’s a bad idea. This isn’t a safety project anymore, and I don’t know how you call a six-lane road built for commuters multimodal,” Allen said in a statement to Washingtonian. “Based on the last design, we’ll see serious crashes and more people at risk that could be avoided. It’s disappointing to see the DC government continually undermine both safety and economic opportunity to preserve the status quo, despite all evidence to the contrary that safer streets bring greater benefits for everyone.”
At Monday’s meeting, DDOT staff fielded questions from community members about their plans. One asked what DDOT planned on doing to rebuild trust with the community, given the sudden reversal on the bike lanes.
“I know that people were very excited, and I know there’s disappointment,” DDOT director Sharon Kershbaum answered. “But we are going to continue to build out our bike network, and it’s gonna be amazing…we’re not gonna slow down.”
