After Decades of Planning: New Life for K Street Transitway in Washington, D.C.

Planners in multiple decades have sought to dedicate center lanes of K Street in downtown Washington, D.C. to high-capacity transit. The mayor recently offered a strong show of support.

1 minute read

March 21, 2019, 2:00 PM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


K Street Extension

Screengrab from an animated rendering of the proposed D.C. Streetcar extension. / District Department of Transportation

"In her State of the District address Monday evening, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser pledged $122 million to build the K Street Transitway," reports David Alpert.

According to Alpert, "the K Street Transitway would create dedicated middle lanes for buses on K Street NW between Mount Vernon Square and Washington Circle." The new lanes would save thousands of bus riders a lot of time crossing downtown in the nation's capital.

Planners have been working on the K Street Transitway for over a decade. Alpert also reported on the project in 2009, and this week's articles includes renderings from 2005. A streetcar has also been proposed for the same right of way. Planetizen most recently picked up news about the K Street Transitway plans in 2017, billed at the time as a streetcar extension.

Alpert concludes the article with some ideas about what to watch for to assess whether the K Street Transitway is finally out of planning purgatory.

Tuesday, March 19, 2019 in Greater Greater Washington

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

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