North Capitol Street Deckover Could Get Public Funding

• June 7, 2021

by Nena Perry-Brown

Proponents for a proposed promenade that would deck over a stretch of North Capitol Street have won a small victory.

In her proposed budget, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser allocated $1 million for a feasibility study for a plan to deck over the portions of the North Capitol underpasses between V Street and Seaton Place and create an at-grade park/promenade. The proposed budget also includes funds to begin work on the deckover for Connecticut Avenue in Dupont Circle.

For over a decade, community organizations and residents have been leading a grassroots effort to lobby for public funding and realize this project, which they believe will provide an amenity to and reunite the neighborhoods along the stretch, including Bloomingdale, Eckington, and Edgewood.

The promenade, designed by ZGF Architects, would serve as an activated park with a "streetcar café" near Rhode Island Avenue, lawn and seating areas, an amphitheater, a children's splash park, and neighborhood history timelines features.

If the DC Council approves the budget item this summer, the next steps would be for the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) to move forward with a study. The project will likely also require approval from the Federal Highway Administration, as North Capitol Street is part of the highway system.

In the meantime, the North Capitol Deck Over Steering Committee has launched a website and social media presence for the deckover project, and new renderings may also be released this summer.

All renderings courtesy of ZGF Architects.

The name of the deckover grassroots organization has been updated since publication.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/north-capitol-street-deckover-could-get-public-funding/18349