DC Streetcar On H Street
The DC Streetcar on H Street, a much-anticipated streetcar project on H Street and near Capital Hill, is moving forward. The Department of Transportation in late February presented renderings of the DC Streetcar on H Street to the DC Commission of Fine Arts and the Historic Preservation Review Board. These presentations put the DC Street Car on H Street one step closer to reviving a form of transportation popular more than 50 years ago in the District by late next year or early 2014.
The DC Streetcar on H Street will be the first phase of the DC Streetcar project, followed by segments in Anacostia and in other parts of the city after that. The main goal with the DC Streetcar on H Street is to link neighborhoods with an alternative mode of transportation that will attract more riders. The DC Streetcar on H Street will also hopefully reduce shorter inner-city auto trips and encourage more affordable housing along the DC Streetcar route on H Street.
The DC Streetcar project on H Street is an ambitious city-wide plan by the District Department of Transportation.  The department is finalizing the H Street and Benning Road DC Streetcar line now, from about Third Street NE to Oklahoma Avenue, and will then develop plans for other segments.
Residents have been eager for the DC Streetcar on H Street, which was originally planned to open earlier this year, for much of the past decade. Those most recent plans were delayed as funding fell through. DC Streetcars were a popular way of getting around the District from about 1862 to about 1962, when the DC Streetcar system was dismantled as the city’s bus service improved.
Much of the platform for the DC Streetcar on H Street is already in place and construction in other areas is moving ahead. The District Department of Transportation will likely decide later this month whether to end the line at Benning Road or Minnesota Avenue. The ultimate goal for the DC Streetcar line is to link Ward 7 to Georgetown by 2025. Planners envision riders paying $1 per ride with the system owned by the city but operated by a third party.
To participate in future public planning sessions, visit the District Department of Transportation’s website to stay informed about the DC Street Car on H Street.
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For More Information:
Rock Creek Realty: www.rcrdc.com
District Department of Transportation: http://ddot.dc.gov/DC/DDOT/On+Your+Street/Mass+Transit+in+DC/DC+Streetcar
The DC Street Car: http://www.dcstreetcar.com/