The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [WMATA] and the District Department of Transportation [DDOT] put together a plan to upgrade DC transit services for the long haul. This is a long range plan . Kind of imagine what DC transportation will-look-like fast forward 25 years. DC future transit plan recommends that it uses a mix of transit services: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), streetcars and improvement to existing services.
The long range plans for streetcars recommends three corridors: 1) North-South route from Silver Spring to near Southeast and Southwest Waterfront, 2) crosstown route from Georgetown to Minnesota Avenue, 3) and the line for Anacostia community.
ANACOSTIA STREETCAR PROJECT
Image: DC Transit Future. Click (+) for larger image.
The first streetcar project to begin construction this year -- is Anacostia streetcar project. The project was approved last week. Via DC Examiner.
"The National Capital Planning Commission approved the final site and building plans for a 1.3 mile streetcar line running from the Anacostia Metro Station to Bolling Air Force Base, via South Capitol Street.The commission also approved plans for street and sidewalk reconstruction along H Street Northeast between Third and 14th Streets, a "Great Streets" project that is slated to include the installation of tracks for future streetcar line."
When you connect the dots between three DC gov. projects -- Anacostia Waterfront Initiative, South Capitol Street Revitalization and Anacostia streetcar project, you can clearly see what DC wants to achieve: Connect neighborhoods, schools, parks and employment centers in Southeast DC. The transit-redevelopment plans, will in turn help revitalize SE DC and boosts its local economy.
* Streetcar power -- overhead or underneath [Examiner]
* DC Transit Future
* DC Transit Alternative Analysis [pdf]
