Expect delays for Anacostia streetcar work

WASHINGTON - Plans to get streetcars rolling once again in the District have been slow to materialize, but there are some tangible signs that the trains are coming.

Unfortunately, that could mean some delays for drivers passing by South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue in Anacostia.

The D.C. Department of Transportation is about to start installing tracks for the long awaited streetcar system in that area - although the actual streetcars aren't expected to start running for another two and a half years.

DDOT will start installing streetcar tracks at the intersection of South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue in Anacostia, Wednesday morning.

The work will begin around 9:30 a.m. and isn't expected to finish until the end of the month. Traffic through the intersection will have to slim down to one lane in each direction, and DDOT says it'll add about 5-10 minutes to your drive.

Traffic also will not be allowed to turn from northbound South Capitol Street to Firth Sterling Avenue or Defense Boulevard.

Northbound traffic will have to take using one of two detours:

• East on M Street
• South on First Street
• Southwest on Potomac Avenue
• South on South Capitol Street in order to turn east on Firth Sterling Avenue or west on Defense Boulevard

Or

• North on South Capitol Street
• East on Malcolm X Avenue
• North on Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue
• West on Howard Road to Firth Sterling Avenue

While this project is expected to be completed by the end of September, more work on South Capitol Street and Firth Sterling Avenue will continue until december, and DDOT is recommending the following alternate routes to avoid delays.

• I-295 North to Suitland Parkway to South Capitol Street
• Malcolm X Avenue to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue to W Street to 13th Street to I-295 North
• South Capitol Street to Suitland Pkwy to I-295 South
• I-295 to 11th Street Bridge to Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue to South Capitol Street

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