A Growing D.C. Corridor Gets Badly Needed Bus Service

The new 59 bus route down 14th Street in Washington, D.C. represents a major win for transit advocates.

1 minute read

January 16, 2018, 10:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


14th Street Traffic

Aram Vartian / Flickr

"This Monday, January 8, [Washington, D.C.] riders boarded the first 59 bus [pdf], a new limited-stop bus service for the 14th Street NW corridor," reports David Whitehead.

According to Whitehead, the new bus service "will speed trips on the busy route and add capacity by running more buses," in a culmination of "months of organizing and advocacy." Planetizen  noted the growing public and political support for the route in April 2017.

Whitehead describes the 59 bus as a major step forward for transportation infrastructure on a corridor that has attracted rapid growth in recent years. That growth enabled a rare degree of agreement between politicians, advocates, and neighborhood interest groups, as detailed by Whitehead, to help quickly deliver the new bus route.

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