18th Street in Adams Morgan to become pedestrian zone on select Sundays
WASHINGTON,DC-AUG3:18th street, the main thoroughfare in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. August 3rd, 2017. After a recent traffic accident that left a DC police officer injured, an ANC rep discussed the idea of making 18th street a p
WASHINGTON - A popular strip of Adams Morgan in Northwest, D.C. will soon become a pedestrian zone as part of a pilot program meant to reinvigorate the economy in the area.
The Adams Morgan Partnership Business Improvement District (AMPBID) announced that the pedestrian zone, located along 18th Street NW between Kalorama and Columbia Roads, will be happening on multiple Sundays throughout the remainder of the year. You can see when the list of closures below:
- Sunday, August 21 from 12pm-10pm
- Sunday, September 4 from 12pm-10pm
- Sunday, October 23 from 12pm-10pm
The objective of the pedestrian zone is to help the businesses of Adams Morgan with their economic recovery from the pandemic by bringing people back to the area.
According to AMPBID's website, "closing the street to vehicular traffic allows for more pedestrians, bicyclists and people on scooters to have additional safe space to walk to their favorite café, shop for a unique gift, bike to dinner with friends, scooter to a hair or nail appointment, or wander the tree-lined streets of Adams Morgan and enjoy the architecture."
WASHINGTON,DC-AUG3:18th street, the main thoroughfare in the Adams Morgan neighborhood of Washington, DC. August 3rd, 2017. After a recent traffic accident that left a DC police officer injured, an ANC rep discussed the idea of making 18th street a p
The pedestrian zone was first introduced to the area as part of the Mayor's June 2020 pilot street closure program. AMPBID says businesses in the area overwhelmingly support the pedestrian zone after seeing its financial benefits during the June 2020 closure.
Earlier this year, the AMPBID received $525,000 from the DC Office of Planning’s "Streets for the People" grant program. The majority of that funding will support the purchase and installation of permanent infrastructure for the pedestrian zone.
People who use the pedestrian zone can expect to see "barriers in place, bustling streateries, and people moving freely on both the sidewalk and in the street," according to AMPBID.
Initially, 18th Street will be closed using dump trucks and Metropolitan Police Department cruisers. But AMPBID officials say, they are working with the D.C. Government to approve a permanent street cable barrier closure system that can be easily deployed when needed.