WASHINGTON — The first seven locations for the new Slow Streets initiative were announced Monday.
Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District Department of Transportation said the initiative will give residents more space to social distance while moving around outside. The locations are spread across all eight wards of the District.
"Like the streateries and other expanded dinging areas that are now on roads, alleys, and sidewalks throughout the city, the Slow Streets initiative is one way we can reimagine public space to make it easier to enjoy the outdoors and stop the spread of COVID-19," Bowser said.
Slow Streets are restricted to local traffic only and the speed limit is set at 15 mph to support neighborhood-based safe social distancing while walking, running, or cycling.
Here are the first seven slow zones to be implemented:
- Wards 1 and 2: 19th Street, NW (between Dupont Circle and Biltmore Street, NW; plus most of Biltmore and Cliffbourne)
- Ward 3: 36th Street, NW (between Connecticut Avenue and Reno Avenue/Warren Street, NW)
- Ward 4: 8th Street, NW (between Piney Branch/Whittier Street and Missouri Avenue, NW)
- Ward 5: Newton Street, NE (between 12th Street and South Dakota Avenue, NE)
- Ward 6: 12th Street, NE (from East Capitol Street to K Street, NE)
- Ward 7: Grant Street, NE (between Minnesota Avenue and 46th Street, NE)
- Ward 8: 15th Street, SE (from Mississippi Avenue to Savanah Street, SE) and 15th Place, SE (from Alabama Avenue to Bruce Place, SE)
"We want people to be able to move around and be outside, but it is important, as we continue through Phase One and into the summer months, to remember the importance of social distancing, face masks, and frequent handwashing," Bowser said.
Over the next 12 weeks, DDOT will install additional Slow Streets. Drivers should only use a designated Slow Street if their destination is within two blocks of that street. Residents, emergency vehicles, deliveries, and trash collection vehicles still have access to Slow Streets. Streets with bus routes are not eligible for a Slow Streets designation.
"Mayor Bowser’s D.C. Slow Streets initiative makes our streets safer, and as the weather continues to improve, this gives residents needed additional space to exercise in support of overall physical and mental health during the pandemic," DDOT Director Jeff Marootian said. "Slow Streets are an important part of our ongoing efforts to reimagine how we use public space in the District."
At the end of May, as the District moved into Phase One of the city’s COVID-19 response and recovery, Bowser announced several initiatives for reimagining the use of public space, including the buildout of "streateries" and other expanded outdoor dining and the installation of Slow Streets.
