$250 Million for East Washington Project
Mayor Anthony A. Williams on Monday, May 16, announced the East Washington Traffic Relief Project plan to relieve traffic congestion on the Sousa Bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, and on local streets on both sides of the Anacostia River. He was joined by Councilmembers Carol Schwartz and Vincent Gray and members of the East Washington and Capitol Hill communities at the foot of the Sousa Bridge at Fairlawn Avenue, SE.
The East Washington Project, developed by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) and endorsed by the affected communities, calls for building new ramps to and from the 11th Street Bridge on the east side of the Anacostia to directly connect the Southeast Freeway and Kenilworth Avenue/DC-295. This will divert traffic from congested local streets in communities along the Anacostia to the interstate/regional network.
“The East Washington Project will move traffic out of our East Washington, Capitol Hill and Anacostia communities on both sides of the Anacostia,” said Mayor Williams. “This is a key goal of my Anacostia Waterfront Initiative – to restore and reconnect our neighborhoods to the river by moving people most efficiently, whether by car, bicycle, light rail or on foot.”
These new freeway connections and reduced local traffic are projected to have a host of benefits, including:
- Reduce substantially the 90,000 vehicles on the Sousa Bridge and Pennsylvania Avenue by eliminating the need for vehicles to cross over from one side of the bridge to the other to access northbound 295.
- Return two-way traffic to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue at the foot of the 11th Street Bridges, with curbside parking supporting community-based economic development and a new main street for downtown Anacostia.