Led by the District Department of Transportation (DDOT), the Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast corridor project (Penn Ave Southeast) is a transportation planning study focused on improving safety and mobility for bicyclists, pedestrians, transit and vehicular travel along this east/west connection from the west side of the Sousa Bridge to 2nd Street SE near the U.S. Capitol. The project’s development has been shaped by previous studies, recommendations, public involvement and input.
Project Map
The Penn Ave Southeast corridor represents an opportunity to link popular destinations in the Capitol Hill, Eastern Market and underserved Southeast neighborhoods. The proposed separated bicycle lanes will close a critical gap in the District’s bicycle network, providing a strong east-west connection between the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, two Metrorail stations (Eastern Market and Potomac Avenue) and the 4th Street/6th Street SE paired bike lanes corridor.
Penn Ave Southeast was designed as a boulevard with direct views of the Capitol building and a wide median that provides desirable landscaping and substantial refuge for pedestrians crossing the street. Current transportation options along the corridor are mixed use including bus, bike and pedestrian. Capital Bikeshare has a number of stations and Metro bus and the DC Circulator both have heavily used routes with demand increasing.
Penn Ave Southeast is also an important transit street, particularly for the 30s Metrobus line which serves over 11,000 riders each day. The corridor is identified in moveDC, the District’s long-range transportation plan, as a high-capacity transit corridor, as well as a part of WMATA’s Priority Corridor Network.
Project Goals
The goal of the Pennsylvania Avenue Southeast Corridor project is to redesign the corridor to provide for safer, more accessible, multi-modal transportation options.
The project intends to:
- Improve mobility, transportation safety and options for all users
- Meet District goals for its moveDC plan and Vision Zero Initiative
- Improve traffic control
- Provide continuous separated bike lanes and evaluate opportunities to prioritize buses
- Balance the competing demands of all road users along the corridor
