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.

Thursday, January 11, 2018 in Greater Greater Washington

portrait of professional woman

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

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 14, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Rendering of California High-Speed Rail station with bullet train.

California High-Speed Rail's Plan to Right Itself

The railroad's new CEO thinks he can get the project back on track. The stars will need to align this summer.

May 19, 2025 - Benjamin Schneider

Passengers exiting the back door of a blue public bus.

Opinion: Make Buses More Like Sidewalks

Sidewalks are an intuitive, low-cost, and easily accessible mobility tool. Can local buses function in the same way?

15 minutes ago - Fast Company

Protest

How Cities Can Support Climate Adaptation

In the face of federal cuts to climate resilience funding, a panel at ULI’s Resilience Summit offered suggestions for maintaining managed retreat and other climate adaptation programs.

1 hour ago - Smart Cities Dive

Screenshot of University Transportation Centers website

Transportation Research Centers Lose Key Federal Funding

The federal University Transportation Center program funds critical transportation research and innovation at 35 consortia of colleges and universities.

2 hours ago - Streetsblog USA

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.