- Connecticut Avenue (Washington, D.C.)
Connecticut Avenue is a major route in the Northwest quadrant of
Washington, D.C. , and suburbanMontgomery County, Maryland . It is one of the diagonal avenues radiating from theWhite House , and the segment south ofFlorida Avenue was one of the original streets inPierre L'Enfant 's plan for Washington.Connecticut Avenue begins just north of the White House at Lafayette Square. It is interrupted by
Farragut Square . North of Farragut Square and K Street, Connecticut Avenue is one of the major streets in downtown Washington and a nationally acknowledged high-rent shopping street.Fact|date=May 2008As Connecticut Avenue approaches the
Dupont Circle neighborhood, it splits at N Street into a through roadway and service roadways. The through roadway tunnels under Dupont Circle, while the service roadways intersect the outer roadway of the circle. Just north of the circle, the service roadways are known for their manygay -oriented businesses, of which the most famous isLambda Rising . The through roadway and service roadways rejoin at R Street. Originally, there was no tunnel, and all vehicular traffic on Connecticut Avenue went through the circle. The tunnel was built in 1949.After crossing Florida Avenue near the
Hilton Washington hotel, Connecticut Avenue narrows and winds through the Kalorama neighborhood. (TheEmbassy Row district extends from here westward). The avenue then crossesRock Creek Park on theWilliam Howard Taft Bridge and goes through upper Northwest Washington, D.C., including theWoodley Park ,Cleveland Park , Chevy Chase, D.C. neighborhoods. Between Woodley Park and Cleveland Park, Connecticut Avenue is carried over a deep valley on another bridge.The Red Line of the
Washington Metro subway system runs beneath Connecticut Avenue, with access points at the Farragut North, Dupont Circle, Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan, Cleveland Park, and Van Ness-UDC stations.The
Smithsonian National Zoological Park is located along Connecticut Avenue, halfway between the Woodley Park-Zoo/Adams Morgan and Cleveland Park Metro Stations. Also located along this stretch of Connecticut Avenue is a major operational center of Intelsat, as are the landmark Wardman Park Marriott Hotel, the city's largest, and theOmni Shoreham Hotel . This section is also a major commuter route and hasreversible lane s along most of its length which operate during the morning and evening rush hours (7:00–9:30 a.m. and 4:00–6:30 p.m.). It connects with theRock Creek and Potomac Parkway via 24th Street. Older high-rise apartments line the avenue, with elegant, older detached homes on shady side streets.After passing the main campus of the
University of the District of Columbia , Connecticut Avenue exits the District of Columbia at Chevy Chase Circle, which is at the intersection of Connecticut and Western Avenues. Once entering Maryland, it gains the route designationMaryland State Highway 185 and goes through theChevy Chase, Maryland postal area. The National4-H Youth Conference Center is on this stretch of Connecticut Avenue, as is theChevy Chase Country Club .After interchanging with the Capital Beltway at Exit 33, Connecticut Avenue enters Kensington, where it is the major north-south street of the central business district. Connecticut Avenue used to stop at University Boulevard (
Maryland State Highway 193 ). However, Concord Avenue was extended northward to form an extension of Connecticut Avenue.That extension of Connecticut Avenue passes through Wheaton and Aspen Hill. At Georgia Avenue (
Maryland State Highway 97 ), Connecticut Avenue loses its state route designation. Connecticut Avenue, now simply a local street, continues past Georgia Avenue and ends at Leisure World Boulevard.Connecticut Avenue is an arterial route in the National Highway System between K Street and Nebraska Avenue.
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