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Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (also known as MLK Ave) is a major street in the District of Columbia traversing through both the
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue was originally constructed in 1855 as Asylum Avenue, when the Government Hospital for the Insane (later known as St. Elizabeths Hospital) was built on the "St. Elizabeth's tract" in the District of Columbia. It was renamed Nichols Avenue in 1879, in honor of St. Elizabeths Hospital Superintendent Charles Henry Nichols. It was renamed again for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on January 15, 1971.
In 2003, the
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue (also known as MLK Ave) is a major street in the District of Columbia traversing through both the Southwest
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
and Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
quadrants.
Route
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SW begins at the southwestern tip of the District of Columbia near theBlue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant
Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant, located at 5000 Overlook Ave SW, Washington, DC 20032, is the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the world. The facility is operated by the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Author ...
. Headed north, the avenue overlaps with South Capitol Street
South Capitol Street is a major street dividing the southeast and southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It runs south from the United States Capitol to the D.C.–Maryland line, intersecting with Southern Avenue. Afte ...
from 2nd St SW to Halley Place SE, where it turns northeast, becoming Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE. As it crosses through the Congress Heights
Congress Heights is a residential neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C., in the United States. The irregularly shaped neighborhood is bounded by the St. Elizabeths Hospital campus, Lebaum Street SE, 4th Street SE, and Newcomb Street SE on ...
neighborhood, MLK Ave changes from a primarily residential neighborhood to a commercial district.
Also in the Congress Heights area, MLK Ave crosses both Alabama Avenue SE and Malcolm X Ave S (Portland Street). After leaving Congress Heights, the street turns north, crossing throughout the campus of St. Elizabeths Hospital, the future home of the Department of Homeland Security
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the U.S. federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the interior or home ministries of other countries. Its stated missions involve anti-terr ...
. MLK Ave stays headed north, crossing the Suitland Parkway before reaching the Anacostia Metro Station. After passing the Anacostia Station, MLK Ave enters historic Anacostia
Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is na ...
, crossing Good Hope Road before terminating at the 11th Street Bridges
The 11th Street Bridges are a complex of three bridges across the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., United States. The bridges convey Interstate 695 across the Anacostia to its southern terminus at Interstate 295 and DC 295. The bridges a ...
.
History
Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue was originally constructed in 1855 as Asylum Avenue, when the Government Hospital for the Insane (later known as St. Elizabeths Hospital) was built on the "St. Elizabeth's tract" in the District of Columbia. It was renamed Nichols Avenue in 1879, in honor of St. Elizabeths Hospital Superintendent Charles Henry Nichols. It was renamed again for slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. on January 15, 1971.
In 2003, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation
The District Department of Transportation (DDOT, stylized as d.) is an agency of the government of the District of Columbia, in the United States, which manages and maintains publicly owned transportation infrastructure in the District of Columbi ...
(DDOT) announced that, as part of its DC Streetcar
The DC Streetcar is a surface streetcar network in Washington, D.C. , it consists of only one line: a segment running in mixed traffic along H Street and Benning Road in the city's Northeast quadrant.
The streetcars are the first to run in ...
system, it would build a "Anacostia Line" as a demonstration of streetcar technology in the city. The line was planned to begin at Bolling Air Force Base
Bolling Air Force Base or Bolling AFB was a United States Air Force base in Washington, D.C. In 2010, it was merged with Naval Support Facility Anacostia to form Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling. From its beginning, the installation has hosted el ...
, travel up north along South Capitol Street
South Capitol Street is a major street dividing the southeast and southwest quadrants of Washington, D.C., in the United States. It runs south from the United States Capitol to the D.C.–Maryland line, intersecting with Southern Avenue. Afte ...
to the Anacostia Metro station, along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE to Good Hope Road SE, and then along the CSX
CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. The railroad operates approximately 21,000 route miles () of track. ...
railroad tracks to the Minnesota Avenue Metro station. However, in October 2010 the city scaled back the Anacostia Line, truncating the northern end of the line so that it would only end at the Anacostia Metro station.
On March 4, 2011, DDOT announced public meetings designed to provide a link between the Anacostia Metro Station and the 11th Street Bridges
The 11th Street Bridges are a complex of three bridges across the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C., United States. The bridges convey Interstate 695 across the Anacostia to its southern terminus at Interstate 295 and DC 295. The bridges a ...
(under construction as of early 2011) which would meet community concerns about traffic impacts the streetcar would have on MLK Ave, threats to historic preservation in the Anacostia Historic District, and terminating the line at the Anacostia Gateway building at the intersection of MLK Ave and Good Hope Road SE. The 11th Street Bridges are designed to carry streetcars over the Anacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. ...
, permitting the Anacostia Line to link with the rest of the streetcar system.
Transportation
The Anacostia Metrorail Station lies on Howard Road Southeast, just off of MLK Avenue. * Anacostia Station Metrobus lines A2, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, A33, B2, P6, V2, W2, W3, W6, W8, 90, and 92 serve MLK Ave ''For more information, see List of Metrobus routes''See also
*List of streets named after Martin Luther King, Jr.
Streets named after Martin Luther King Jr. can be found in many cities of the United States and in nearly every major metropolis. There are also a number of other countries that have honored Martin Luther King Jr., including Italy and Israel. T ...
References
Bibliography
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue Streets in Washington, D.C.