D.C. Looks to Improve Cross-Town Traffic Flow

WASHINGTON -- The District wants its streets back, or at least better traffic flow on them. After the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, some vital cross-town routes in the city were shut down for security purposes. Transportation leaders are now trying to figure out how to better move traffic from one end of the city to the next.

The biggest impact came when Pennsylvania Avenue and then E Street in front of the White House were shut down.

Commuters had been used to coming off Interstate 66 or coming from the west part of downtown and going to the U.S. Capitol and to the east side of the city.

"We lost a vital east-west connection," says Emeka Moneme, director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "How do they get there now?"

DDOT and the National Capital Planning Commission are currently conducting the White House Area Transportation Study to look at options for better connectivity in the District.

"One solution is to put transit connectivity along K Street," says Moneme.

Officials have been looking at the idea of dedicated bus lanes running from Union Station across town and into Georgetown. There also is talk about a street car line running along the K Street Corridor.

"The K Street Corridor (is a good fit) with all the businesses located there," says Moneme.

The federal government isn't likely to open roads in front of the White House anytime soon, so another option would be to change the direction of some streets around the city.

"Looking at the road network downtown. We're looking at either making it more like a downtown Manhattan, one way system -- or returning it back to your old two-way street grid system," says Moneme.

The final White House Area Transportation Study is due out in a few months.

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