My least favorite streets in DC, part 1

Public Spaces

by Dave Murphy • June 22, 2010 12:37 pm

For 30 years, I have been walking, driving, and riding the streets of the District of Columbia. For the most part, they are among the best in the country. But no city is perfect, and DC certainly is no exception.

Here are 20 streets that I find to be dirty, ugly, unsafe, traffic-choked, under utilized, or just plain not doing what they are supposed to be doing. I chose to forgo the interstates, they were a bit too obvious.

20) Riggs Road NE

This road enters the district as a PG County style high speed thoroughfare. What's worse, 25% of it's 0.8 mile stretch in the District is consumed with that ridiculous triangle intersection with South Dakota Avenue at Fort Totten. Fortunately, that is getting fixed, which is why this road is almost off my list.

19) Water Street SW

This street ought to be renamed Southwest Parking Lot Access Road, because that is all this redundant street is used for. It's entirety runs parallel to Maine Avenue, never more than 60 concrete-paved feet away.

Get rid of this street, build frontage on Maine Avenue, and create plazas at all the current intersections crossing Maine and Water. Get more people walking around down there. Again, there are plans to improve this area, if they ever get built.

18) Observatory Circle NW

If I am ever Vice President of the United States, I would refuse to live at this address. It is a spattering of buildings across a secluded lot surrounded by most of a circle. The circle doesn't connect all the way around and breaks up the street grid between Wisconsin Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue.

17) Bladensburg Road NE

This road starts at a horribly complex intersection in the H Street area. Moving north, it provides a horrifically ugly face for the Trinidad and Carver Langston neighborhoods. It then becomes a desolate stretch of freeway despite running between two scenic DC landmarks, Mount Olivet Cemetery and the National Arboretum.

Next is a horribly autocentric intersection at New York Avenue, which is a freeway to the east. The rest of the stretch is dirty, unkempt, and gives a very unsafe feel, even into Maryland as it goes past another historic cemetery. It has a lot of potential, though, and as H Street and Trinidad continue to revitalize, Bladensburg Road should show signs of life as well.

16) Montana Avenue NE

On the north end, it looks like you're driving past military barracks circa Vietnam. On the other end, I'm pretty sure it is chop shops and automobile graveyards. If this street was designed for people, someone ought to tell the business owners that seem to have all opened up some kind of auto shop along the stretch.

15) Howard Road SE

I'm sure at one point, Howard Road served a purpose greater than connecting the Anacostia Freeway to the Frederick Douglass Bridge. By Anacostia Metro Station, it feels like a stark wasteland begging for some building frontage. Empty streets are not conducive to pedestrians, and we want those around Metro stations.

14) 22nd Street NE

The entire road network around RFK Stadium is guilty here. At one end of the Capitol east-west axis sits the Lincoln Memorial, fronted by acres of National Parkland. On the east end sits a moribund stadium surrounded by a spade-shaped interchange and a bunch of grassy lots to fill the void between the traffic sewers. 22nd Street is only good for turning around when you realize you do not want to drive over the Young Bridge.

13) 4th Street SW

This area was completely ruined by urban renewal. Intersections at H, K, and L were removed to make way for giant superblocks of hideous towers with first floors devoted to parking, making them huge dingbats. Only recently the connection to 4th Street was reopened, which was a huge improvement, but this neighborhood still suffers from a great deal of miserable urban renewal.

12) Harewood Road NE

I used to park on Harewood Road when visiting my sister when she attended Catholic University. It is nothing more than the edge of a couple super blocks. The buildings of the University are not built towards the street, and the southern terminus at Michigan Avenue is flanked by a giant parking lot.

11) Mississippi Avenue SE

My main issue with this street is that is set up to produce economic failure. The lack of a permeable street grid and the cheap garden apartments far from job centers, social centers, or mass transit create a desolate atmosphere for poverty and neglect to fester.

Inexpensive housing does not have to be as ugly, desolate, or spread out as the low rises that front Mississippi Avenue. We need to remember that streets like this are not in Greenbelt or Suitland, they are in the nation's capital, and therefore deserve a higher standard for development than the worst Prince George's County has to offer.

Next: #10 through #1, my very least favorite street in DC.

36 comments — Share	— tags: DC, public spaces

My favorite streets in DC, part 1 (Jun 30, 2010)
My least favorite streets in DC, part 2 (Jun 23, 2010)
H Street United? (Apr 9, 2009)
Traffic is poisoning Ivy City (Dec 17, 2008)
North Capitol: Competing visions for handling traffic (Dec 19, 2007)

Comments

Water Street SW is a great parallel route for bikes to get from the 395 bridge/Jefferson memorial area to the ballpark area.

by Michael Perkins on Jun 22, 2010 12:57 pm

I hope the mess of ramps near the Kennedy Ctr/E St Expwy/Whitehurst are on the second list to come.

Is the ugle mess of ramps near the Memorial Br, Geo Wash Pkwy, and Pentagon considered part of DC?

by Transport. on Jun 22, 2010 12:58 pm

4th Street SW is my favorite bike route from the Navy Yard area North to the mall and downtown. It's wide with low traffic.

by Michael Perkins on Jun 22, 2010 12:59 pm

Don't know if this can be expanded to VA, but Duke Street in Alexandria/Fairfax is a pain.

by TSdaub on Jun 22, 2010 1:17 pm

How often do you travel these roads is it a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly thing

Howard Road : There are buildings along the road such as a school and the metrorail; it would be easy to get rid of the exit from 295

Missippsi Ave : What wrong with Garden Style Apartments and what makes them cheap I rather like them than highrises. All apartment and condo buildings dont have to be highrises; some like highrises and some dont. Everybody does not want to live in downtown where there is traffic, noise and people all times of the night, some just want areas where there is quiet and not masses of people.

Are you talking about Missippsi Ave as a whole or some parts. All of it is not far from Mass Transit buses do run through there the W2, M8/9, A2/6/7/42/48 and some parts of it are close to Congress Hgts & Southern Ave stations.

22nd Ave is there because some dumb ass decided to build a circle with a stadium in the middle of it and all surrounding streets being oneway. The solution is simple tear down the stadium and make E Capitol ST go directly through while connecting 22nd to 24th streets and Independence Ave.

4th ST SE: Have no problem with the 1st floor being for parking its better than a parking lot being next to it.

Blandensburg RD : How is it complex at the H Street/15th/Maryland intersection I have used others like it around the world and they are not hard to figure out. There is not anything you can really due for the part between the Arbotrum and the Cemetary except place officers there; the better questions why have a street there at all or why is the Arboteum there.

by kk on Jun 22, 2010 1:38 pm

correction to paragraph concerning Mississippi Ave

What is wrong with Garden Style Apartments and what makes them cheap I rather like them compared to high-rises. All apartment and condo buildings dont have to be high-rises; some like high-rises and some dont. Everybody does not want to live in downtown where there is traffic, noise and people all times of the night; some just want areas where there is quiet and not masses of people.

Are you talking about Mississippi Ave as a whole or some parts? All of it is not far from Mass Transit buses do run through there the W2, M8/9, A2/6/7/42/48 and some parts of it are close to Congress Hgts & Southern Ave stations.

by kk on Jun 22, 2010 1:43 pm

Wasn't the original plan to turn NY Avenue into a freeway? I mean a real freeway with no lights or anything? Would that have been any better than what we have now? There's only so much you can build along that stretch, since it runs parallel to the rail lines (would people want to buy a condo next to a railroad?) and everything else looks like it's zoned for light industrial.

by monkeyrotica on Jun 22, 2010 1:51 pm

Dave,
What's with the bashing of PG roads? How is that relevant to your post about DC?

by bryon on Jun 22, 2010 2:01 pm

I'm not a fan of ranked list articles, whether they appear in Time, People, or Greater Greater Washington, because there's almost never an actual methodology for the rankings. Even when there is a methodology, as you may have seen from the kerfuffle over the Newsweek school rankings at DCist, it's painfully oversimplified and typically useless.

If this article were pitched as "20 awful streets in DC," or even "20 of DC's worst streets," I'd be a BIT more comfortable with it. But as it stands, you've given us a ranked, ordered, ostensibly comprehensive list of "DC's 20 worst" without basing it on anything besides personal preference/experience.

I don't mean to be cruel, but isn't this just a "Sexiest Man Alive" (or "ugliest," maybe) piece for the complete streets crowd?

by Jewdishoowary Square on Jun 22, 2010 2:05 pm

Re-reading, I partially withdraw my comment, since the article is actually "20 least favorite," not "20 worst." Still, if there's no basis for the ranking other than personal opinion, why rank them? There's no need to make this a contest if we can't fairly pick a winner.

by Jewdishoowary Square on Jun 22, 2010 2:09 pm

Once again, someone not from SW, bashes SW. It really is getting old. You don't like 4th St SW, fine, stay off of it. I like every street in the SW Waterfront neighborhood. So do my neighbors, so do the 3 other people that put bids in on the house I recently bought (which was on the market for all of one day).

The SW Waterfront neighborhood is entirely walkable, easy to bike (due in part to low traffic volume), quiet, accessed by three Metro stations, and an easy walk to Capitol Hill and downtown.

Oh yeah, SW is also filled with a true mix of housing.

You don't like big apartment buildings? How about townhouses? How about the oldest houses in the city (Wheat Row)? How about modernist experiments like the barrel-roofed houses? How about the unique dichotomy of 1960's architecture butting up against a Civil War-era walled fortress (Ft. McNair?)

by urbaner on Jun 22, 2010 2:09 pm

I'll second Michael Perkins' comment. It's not ideal, but there are worse streets--I'd say knock it off and replace it with Sherman St. NW.

by Dan Miller on Jun 22, 2010 2:17 pm

Urbaner: I totally agree!

by SW Biker on Jun 22, 2010 2:22 pm

I also agree with urbaner.

I'm not really sure you can say SW was "ruined" by urban renewal, considering what was there prior to renewal. It was also the first urban renewal program in the country. Given that, I think it was remarkable how well they did. I walk on 4th Street almost every day and find it to be somewhat pleasant. And with the reopening of 4th St between I and M, the ground floor retail going in there, and the bike lanes, it might be one of the better streets in DC.

by Steven Yates on Jun 22, 2010 2:48 pm

i, for one, applaud you, dave, for sticking your neck out with your opinions.

(and i love how kk accidentally called it blandensburg road. bland indeed!

by IMGoph on Jun 22, 2010 3:00 pm

4th street? seriously? with it's mature tree canopy and low traffic it is one of the most peaceful and graceful series of blocks in the city. I don't think you have ever been there.

by Crin on Jun 22, 2010 3:26 pm

If had money, I would totally buy in SW.

by spookiness on Jun 22, 2010 3:31 pm

I tried to pick roads in all four quadrants on all sides of the Anacostia and Rock Creek. I have been to all these places multiple times both recently and throughout the years, I assure you. If you don't think my least favorites are the worst, please share yours!

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2010 3:56 pm

My least favorite roads in DC:

* I-everything. 66/395/295. They're all a mess. However short they are.

* GW Parkway (yes, it goes through DC). A clogged highway through the Nation's foremost military cemetery? Seriously? And then they call it a National Park and tout the pretty views? Come on!

* All roads that need repair. DC is full of them.

by Jasper on Jun 22, 2010 3:57 pm

For the record, I would buy in SW in a heartbeat. I just don't like 4th Street.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2010 4:01 pm

I think your ire for Observatory Circle should be directed instead at Whitehaven Street, which doesn't go through from Wisconsin to Mass.

by ah on Jun 22, 2010 5:20 pm

You're complaining about Observatory Circle? Overlaying a grid on a portion of navigational, technological, and architectural history is what you are proposing? (Have you ever taken the tour to know what you're talking about?) To break up a street grid that makes a small portion of residential DC walkable and not a pass-through for commuting diplomats? And you are upset that the circle isn't paved all the way around, but features walking trails that connect Rock Creek Park to Glover Park? Am I reading the right website?

by Graham S on Jun 22, 2010 7:02 pm

There is certainly a great deal of history on the old Observatory site, I wouldn't argue against that. I have in fact taken the tour, and though there are mature trees on the site, it feels like a suburban compound forced right into the heart of a city. Much of what Observatory Circle has is very nice, but it is wholly inappropriate for where it is located.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2010 8:55 pm

Furthermore, though I wouldn't advocate for a street grid overlay across the entire property, I do think it would be favorable to the series of driveways and parking lots that meander across the property.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2010 8:58 pm

@Byron,

Sorry I didn't get to this earlier, but with the notable exception of Rhode Island Avenue, just about every road the leaves DC into Prince George's County becomes a wide, pedestrian hostile speedway: South Capitol, Branch, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Riggs, Central, East Capitol, Sheriff, Queens Chapel, and Sargent.

I love what the city of Laurel has done to make its streets safer, Byron, and also what Hyattsville, College Park, and Mount Rainier have been doing... The municipalities are (for the most part) great, but the county is awful at providing safe, efficient roads.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 22, 2010 9:09 pm

Sorry, but you still make little sense about Observatory Circle. The observatory predates the rest of the area's development by decades, so it's the only place that has been maintained relatively close to what it was like 100 years ago. The fact that the telescope still works despite the light pollution is amazing, but it sounds like you want new condos and streetlights smack up against it. The location issue is the rest of DC's fault, not Observatory Circle's. Vehicular traffic flows great around the arc of the circle that is there -- unlike Mass Ave at the top of the hill where parking is allowed outside rush hour. Are you objecting to the existence of a federal property with a setback in the middle of a residential neighborhood? Should we put a street grid through the Russian Embassy on the top of the hill in Glover Park? Sure, why not -- I don't like trapezoids that aren't paved around them.

I never would have guessed I would rise to defend the honor of Observatory Circle, but I just don't understand what bothers you about it.

Here's a road you should add to your list: Arizona Avenue-Canal Road-Chain Bridge-Glebe Road/Chain Bridge Road. Sure, half of it is in Virginia not DC, but the lights are sequenced across the boundaries in a way that complicates an already poor situation. The rush hour timings of the middle lane switchover are confusing to any newcomer, and if you are going against rush direction the lights have been brilliantly timed to induce backups from Macarthur Blvd to Chain Bridge Road or vice versa. Then there's the lack of a left turn crossing the bridge into the District to go onto Canal Road north, which causes unfamiliar drivers to attempt U-turns before they get to Arizona with oncoming traffic bearing down. There isno shoulder in case of breakdown, no sidewalk either, though there is the canal towpath with some grade-separated entry points. The steep hillside is overgrown with mimosa and kudzu and broken auto parts. And the Dustrict is wrapping up a long restoration project on the bridge itself that won't alleviate any of the above.

But you're right -- that Observatory Circle is a real pain, how it gently curves and keeps traffic moving and has wide sidewalks and pretty landscaping. That's probably why it made your worst 20. Sheesh.

by Graham S on Jun 22, 2010 10:24 pm

Will any of the remaining #10 through #1 address the fact that DC doesn't understand the concept of a traffic circle? The whole point of a traffic circle, at least in the rest of the world, is to keep traffic moving. But not in DC. In DC, traffic lights at various points around traffic circles--Dupont, Scott, Logan, etc.--bring traffic to a standstill. Yes, there should be a way for pedestrians to access the areas at the center of these circles, and for cyclists to navigate the route. Proper planning, as alluded to in comments from last year's post about the Bladensburg-Benning Road intersection, should be able to accommodate these concerns and keep traffic moving at the same time.

On a side note, last year's post about the Bladensburg-Benning Road intersection also cited the fact that plans for a traffic circle there were scratched for cost reasons. I found this a little hard to believe, given how simple the concept of a traffic circle is--at least, for the rest of the world; DC could probably find a way for it to be expensive and dysfunctional, consider (ahem) Dupont, Scott, and Logan Circles. Besides, doesn't everyone prefer the current off-road state of the Bladensburg-Benning Road intersection? We decided not to spend the money on the traffic circle, and instead opted to spend the money we saved on new suspensions and/or SUVs to cope with the intersection's current state of disrepair. Perfect.

by Paul on Jun 23, 2010 12:32 am

2000 block of Maryland ave ne. scariest block I've ever visited. Ran out of there as fast as I could.

by Crin on Jun 23, 2010 12:36 am

I'll second the nomination for Sherman Street NW.

by michael on Jun 23, 2010 10:28 am

I bike to my job near Observatory Circle. It's easy enough to get from Mass Ave to Wisconsin along the circle/Calvert street; my one complaint is the inability to access the bike path along Rock Creek Park from Mass Ave, since both Whitehaven entrances put you on the wrong side of the parkway. It's frustrating to see it so close and would-be convenient - but "you can't get there from here." But it's only a minor annoyance.

by Erica on Jun 23, 2010 10:38 am

No hate for the Brentwood Parkway or NY Ave NE?

I love planning, smart growth and transit, but New York Ave east of the Dave Thomas Circle really just needs to get the all-out freeway treatment, unless there are plans somewhere to bury the railroad tracks and revitalize that area (in which case, the area needs a comprehensive master plan rather than the hodgepodge approach being taken at the new RI Ave. Metro development).

If we want to vitalize that area, and possibly develop it into a residential or commercial district, we should start thinking about long-term plans to do that. If we want the area to be a corridor for efficiently wisking motorists in and out of the city, we should do that instead. If we want to preserve the Light Industrial activity in that area, we could also start thinking about creating incentives for that as well, as even the industrial tenants in that area aren't exactly thriving (although it could be an ideal locale to relocate the seemingly-successful Florida Market to).

However, the current status quo makes no sense. It's one of the main corridors in and out of DC, and it portrays a bad image (particularly one of the "old DC") to visitors.

by andrew on Jun 23, 2010 12:47 pm

I used to consistently read the posts on Greater Greater Washington because they were well-researched, timely, targeted, grounded in reason, and part of an effort to develop a greatly-improved Washington, DC area. But lately I believe there's been an increasing number of meandering, opinion-driven posts that include unnecessary side-bars and commentary that undercut the otherwise solid, policy-based reporting.

Southwest, including 4th Street is lined by complexes designed by leading national and Washington-area architects. These Southwest complexes have been the subject of many national awards and acclaimwhich continues to this day. I encourage you to pick up a copy of James Goodes seminal Best Addresses coffee table book, where you will find several 4th St SW addresses featured. These buildings and larger urban form has been replicated across the country because it successfully balances dense urban forms and amenities with well-integrated open spaces and multi-transportation corridors. Perhaps more importantly, Southwest has consistently been one of the most diverse, economically stable and affordable communities in DC. Certainly, some aspects of Southwests mid-century development were not successful, but this had more to do with macroeconomic changes and planned capital investments that were never completed such as a landmark bridge from Water Street to East Potomac Park and a cultural center now known as the JFK Center for the Performing Arts that ended up in Foggy Bottom. You disparage urban renewal, but whos to say your version of urban renewal would turn out any more successful fifty years later.

by k anderson on Jun 23, 2010 2:14 pm

I'll put in two cents for 4th St. SW.

With its wide, tree-shaded sidewalks, bike lanes, instant access to Metro (Waterfront, L'Enfant and SW Fed. Ctr. stations) and close proximity to the Safeway/CVS/BofA complex, the brand-new Arena Stage and the (soon-to-be-renovated) Washington Channel waterfront, 4th St. is the spine of one of the most walkable, bikable, transit-proximate and diverse neighborhoods in DC. After trying about nine other neighborhoods over the years, from Capitol Hill to Glover Park, I remain here and wouldn't think of leaving.

TOD rocks!

by Jim Dougherty on Jun 24, 2010 6:12 am

Echoing many other comments on here, I was SHOCKED to see 4th St SW on this list. I would say it is possibly the nicest street in all of the SW! The mature trees are beautiful, and the new development/reopened street are now the icing on the cake. I've lived in SW for two years and find it to be one of the best locations in DC! Easy access to public transit, bike lanes, highways, yet it's still quiet and has a real neighborhood feel.

by SWer on Jun 24, 2010 2:51 pm

I'll hand it to the commentors. I'm starting to rethink 4th Street.

by Dave Murphy on Jun 30, 2010 3:30 pm

We bought our 2,400-sq.-ft. property nearly 10 years ago on 4th Street - far below the selling prices and larger than the sizes of homes on Capitol Hill. SW had always been a trailing real estate market, but no longer.

I would somewhat agree with one point that Dave makes - that the experimental urban renewal of the 1950s stripped SW of its sense of community or identity and replaced that charm with a panorama of ugly, date-stamped, 10-story, geometric concrete and brick forms. Torn down were the mom-and-pop shops that once lined historic 4th Street, nearby Victorian homes and rowhouse tenements.

However, Dave's critique is more of a macro prejudice against SW and could have easily been any number of streets in Southwest. Seventh Street, for example, would have been my choice because it lacks the richness of 4th St.

Some have argued that Dave was wrong to slight our neighborhood because we have historic landmarks and critically acclaimed edifices that were created by well-known architects. Lets face it, most of the 50s and 60s apartment buildings are an eyesore. A visual time capsule. This is obviously why he feels our street is not special. Outer beauty versus inner beauty. There are scores of other reasons why 4th Street is special ...

REASONS I LOVE OUR 4TH STREET HOME (in no particular order):

My daughters have grown up in the Smithsonian's museums, which are only blocks from our doorstep.

A large field / dog-friendly park is directly across the street at 4th and G. We have cooked many mud pies at home plate.

Within walking distance from the National Mall, Arena Stage, Fish Market, U.S. Capitol, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Tidal Basin, aforementioned museums, Nationals Stadium, riverfront walkway, Circulator bus stop, Hains Point, Washington Design Center, Chinatown and Capitol Hill / Eastern Market.

Ridiculously easy on/off access to/from Maryland or Virginia via I-295/95 or I-395/95 or Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Easy access to Mount Vernon bike trail.

Within a 5-minute walk to THREE Metro stations that service the Orange, Blue, Yellow and Greens lines.

QUIET. QUIET. QUIET. Although the highway is within 150 yards of our home, you never hear it. Nor do you hear city traffic. A peaceful community. My block has a shared, private coutyard.

Crime rates are nearly non-existent thanks to First District police HQ located nearby (it moved about four blocks further from our home to accomodate the new Forensics Laboratory on 4th). Fourth is still a major route for police cars which frequently pass by.

As others have pointed out, the thick canopy of spectacular towering trees blanket our street. Which is a beautiful view to soak in, whether on foot or in a car, as you pass under this lush green tunnel. Also, the trees camouflage these hideous buildings when in bloom.

Slowly, signs of retail and shops - albeit chain-type establishments - are trickling into the neighborhood. And, the flagship Safeway is no longer the worst in the nation.

As many have stated, SW is a hidden jewel in the District. Admittedly with bias, I wholeheartedly agree. There may be traits that this big city neighborhood lacks - a main street like in Adams Morgan or 8th Street SE. But what this revitalized neighborhood does have is relative peace and quiet, located within steps of our nations front door.

by I live on 4th Street on Jul 1, 2010 5:56 pm