WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A portion of 18th Street NW in Adams Morgan will be closed to vehicular traffic from Friday evening to midnight Sunday as part of a COVID-19 relief effort by the city.
The street closure spans along 18th St. NW from Kalorama Rd. to Columbia Rd.
The city’s first streatery has been designed on what is typically a busy street, and concrete barriers were made to create clear sectioning off of restaurant space, with the pedestrian sidewalk moved to the middle of the street and between the barriers.
“This is the first time that we're doing something that's allowing restaurants to expand into this large of an area in the street, and it's under the mayor's direction to provide as much relief and support for our local business community as we can,” DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said.
The shutting down of the street for restaurant expansion, similar to what other areas have done to provide restaurant relief, was an effort that had been weeks in the works, according to Roofers Union General Manager Dave Delaplaine.
“We’ve been working on this for weeks trying to try to get this figured out, and we were told it wasn't going to happen,” Delaplaine said. “Then, I find Tuesday that they've decided to go ahead and allow us to do this as a pilot. I hope we're able to prove this to be successful.”
Delaplaine said the short notice of expanding this weekend created a whirlwind, as he had to figure out staffing arrangements, appropriate outdoor furniture, and a proper supply of food.
Despite the flurry of preparation, he said he thinks the ADMO streatery is a good thing for the community, but said he couldn’t speak for everyone.
“Some businesses might lose parking and it might be harder on them, so there's definitely lots of aspects of it,” Delaplaine said. “I hope that in the end that it’s a better jumpstart to the neighborhood getting back to normal, you know, the new normal.”
As Delaplaine was preparing to open the newly instated outdoor patio Friday, he said he was both anxious and optimistic for what the weekend would bring.
“It's not about businesses as a whole can suddenly make money, it's about can this be a safer opportunity than people dining inside," the GM said. "Because dining inside is scary."
According to D.C.’s Director of Nightlife and Culture, Shawn Townsend, this is the city’s first of many streateries.
“We'll reconvene here next week to determine and discuss with the stakeholders, what worked and what didn't work, and then we'll look at other parts of the city to mirror the same pilot program that we have here this weekend,” Townsend said. “There are some other neighborhoods who have expressed interest in a similar pilot program.”
As for the first weekend, Delaplaine said he hopes people will follow the safety precautions that are necessary to make it a successful weekend.
“I just ask that everybody wears masks," he said. "Let's all be responsible. We want this to be something that keeps going."