WASHINGTON — A little more than a year and a half ago, the Wendy's located on Dave Thomas Circle closed, and D.C. took a step toward redesigning the formerly chaotic intersection.
Officials are gearing up to transform the intersection of Florida Avenue NE and New York Avenue NE, also known as the “Virtual Circle” or “Dave Thomas Circle,” in order to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.
The project has been a joint effort between the NoMa Business Improvement District (BID) and NoMa Parks Foundation (NPF) have partnered with the District Department of Transportation (DDOT). The agencies are aiming to address the issues that have previously caused the intersection to be confusing, unpleasant, and dangerous.
The new design will add two-way traffic to First Street NE, restore two-way traffic on Florida Avenue NE, add protected bike lanes and improve safety and navigation for people walking or driving through the intersection.
The first step? Coming up with a new name for the public space. That's where you come in. The organizers are asking the public for ideas on what to name the new public space.
Before you start throwing out suggestions like Roady McRoadface, there are a few steps to take and even some inspiration officials hope will inspire people.
The public may submit nominations to determine the overall name for the public spaces between April 17 and June 25. The NoMa BID will be soliciting one overall name suggestion for the trio of new public spaces resulting from the FL-NY intersection redesign through an online survey.
Organizers are hoping to get nominations that make people think of how special the neighborhood and communities in D.C. are.
Once the nominations are submitted, organizers will select four or five names to be presented for a community vote. The community's vote will become the basis for a recommendation to the D.C. Council and Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Click here for more information on the project and public space naming nomination.
The horror story that is Dave Thomas Circle is coming to an end.