FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Washington, DC) – Today, the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) announced that construction of Car Free Lanes on Martin Luther King Jr, Avenue SE will begin August 10, weather permitting.

“We are thrilled to kick off this work that will help residents safely and efficiently travel everywhere they live, work, and play in the District,” said DDOT Director Jeff Marootian. “The Bowser Administration is committed to improving bus travel speeds and reliability across the District; the building of Car Free Lanes delivers on that promise.”

The Car Free Lanes project is part of DDOT’s Bus Priority Program, the Bowser Administration’s initiative to enhance bus service across all eight wards of the District. They will allow WMATA and Circulator buses to efficiently operate their routes and help passengers avoid crowds while maintaining their social distance on buses. The Car Free Lanes will be restricted to buses travelling in the peak direction during both morning and evening rush hours, and will be designated by red curb-lane paint.

The new Car Free Lanes on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue SE will operate between W Street SE and St. Elizabeths East Campus. Construction will begin on or about August 10 and is expected to last between 60 to 90 days, weather permitting. Following installation, DDOT will study the performance of buses and other multimodal traffic in the corridor to assess benefits, impacts, and necessary refinements.

In addition to the Martin Luther King, Jr Avenue SE project, DDOT will also install Car Free Lanes on 7th Street NW and M Street NW. For more information about these lanes, please visit ddot.dc.gov/carfreelanes.

For more information about the District’s Bus Priority Program, visit ddot.dc.gov/page/bus-priority.