Streetcar to Georgetown Could Get Its Own Dedicated Lanes

A new streetcar planned for Washington, D.C. may have dedicated lanes sending it straight into Georgetown without being bogged down in traffic.

According to new materials posted May 17 to the Union Station to Georgetown Streetcar Transportation Improvements Environmental Assessment website, the current H Street streetcar route could be extended into Georgetown by one of two ways: either a dedicated lane along K Street from Mount Vernon Square to Washington Circle and then in mixed traffic for the rest of the journey, or dedicated lanes the entire trip.

This marks the third meeting of this environmental assessment since 2014, and the first in a while, indicating a new urgency to move the project forward. The purpose of the meeting on May 17 was to focus on the logistics of the Union Station to Georgetown route.

According to a Greater Greater Washington report, planners will study the options in more detail before making a final presentation later this year, and then hold a final public hearing early next year.

If approved, the D.C. Department of Transportation will have to undergo years of design, procurement and construction -- the latter of which wouldn't start until 2022, according to the report.

Image via Georgetown Streetcar Transportation Improvements Environmental Assessment