Starting Friday, June 4th, drivers on eastbound Florida Avenue will detour onto First Street around the intersection of New York Avenue, creating a partial traffic circle pattern.

This “circle” will ultimately create a loop involving Florida Avenue, 1st Street, and O Street, with one-way traffic on all three and a two-way New York Avenue cutting through. Since this circle has the Wendy’s in the center, DDOT has affectionately but unofficially referred to this “Dave Thomas Circle.”

DDOT has completed one phase and is now beginning the next, involving the O Street section. Therefore, they are closing the little loop drivers use from eastbound Florida to eastbound New York. Instead, traffic on eastbound Florida will turn right on 1st Street, then left on New York Avenue to either continue on New York or go back to Florida or O Street to get back to Florida.

Image from DDOT.

First Street and Florida Avenue will both become one-way for the blocks immediately adjacent to the Wendy’s. New York Avenue will remain two-way.

If plans haven’t changed, the next phase will construct the O Street section, allowing cars to turn from 1st onto O and then onto eastbound Florida without using New York Avenue.

2009 “Virtual traffic circle” plan. Image from DDOT modified by IMGoph.

Update: DDOT has updated the plans. O Street will be open, allowing traffic heading to Florida Avenue eastbound to use O Street instead of New York Avenue.

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.