Overview

The District Department of Transportation (DDOT) has initiated the final design phase of the Benning Road Bridges and Transportation Improvements Project. This final design phase will continue the work to improve the Benning Road corridor to safely and efficiently accommodate all modes of transportation following the approval of the Benning Road and Bridges Transportation Improvements Project Environmental Assessment (EA) in November 2020. The draft EA was published in 2016 and modified during the preliminary engineering phase of the Benning Road Bridges and Transportation Improvements Project in 2019 and 2020.

Major tasks and milestones of the final design phase include: 

• Design and engineering work to advance designs to 100% 
• Virtual public meetings to provide updates (target Fall 2021) 
• Continued, ongoing coordination with District sister agencies, utility and infrastructure stakeholders, and interagency partners at the federal level 
• Development of final bidding documents ahead of construction 

The Benning Road Bridges and Transportation Improvements Project will improve safety conditions and operations, address deficiencies in infrastructure, and provide additional transit options in Ward 7 and Ward 5 and along the approximately two miles of Benning Road NE from Oklahoma Avenue NE to East Capitol Street. This includes:

• Enhancing safety and operations along the corridor and at key intersections
• Improving transportation infrastructure conditions
• Rehabilitating roadways and bridges that cross the Anacostia River, DC-295, and CSX freight rail tracks
• Enhancing and installing pedestrian and bicycle facilities
• Extending streetcar transit service to the Benning Road Metrorail station on a center-running alignment

Community needs, preferences, and input voiced during past studies—including the DC Transit Future System Plan, DDOT Benning Road Streetcar Extension Study, and Benning Road Corridor Redevelopment Framework Plan and EA—will help shape and inform the project to improve access, operations, and safety for all users along the Benning Road corridor. Public involvement will be continuous throughout this next phase of the project, which seeks to connect Ward 7 and Ward 5 neighborhoods to employment, activity centers, the regional Metrorail system, and multimodal transportation services at Union Station.