Interstate 695 (Washington, D.C.)

Interstate 695 (Washington, D.C.)
Name	Interstate 695 (Washington, D.C.)
Other names	East Capitol Street Freeway, Southeast Freeway, Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge approaches
Length mi	1.9
Established	1960s
Deleted	2010s (partial)
Direction a	West
Terminus a	Capitol Hill, United States Capitol
Direction b	East
Terminus b	Anacostia River, Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
States	District of Columbia

Contents

Interstate 695 (Washington, D.C.) was a short auxiliary Interstate Highway in the District of Columbia that connected the Southeast Freeway and I-295 (Washington, D.C.) to the approaches of the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and East Capitol Street. As part of the Interstate Highway System, the route traversed the edge of Capitol Hill, abutted the National Mall, and provided a link between US Route 1 in Washington, D.C. and I-395 (Alfred E. Besson Expressway). The corridor intersected or paralleled major civic landmarks including Anacostia River, Library of Congress, United States Botanic Garden, Washington Navy Yard, and United States Botanical Garden.

Route description

The roadway began at a junction near I-295 (Anacostia Freeway), adjacent to Anacostia Community Museum, running westward along the south bank of the Anacostia River and skirting Capitol Hill and the United States Capitol. It provided access ramps to East Capitol Street, the Southeast Freeway, and surface streets serving Navy Yard, Pennsylvania Avenue, and the Smithsonian Institution. The alignment passed under or near infrastructure such as the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge, the Amtrak Northeast Corridor, and rail facilities serving Union Station. Interchanges connected with routes providing to US Route 50, Maryland Route 295, and other regional arteries serving Baltimore, Alexandria, Virginia, and Prince George's County, Maryland.

Planning for the corridor originated in postwar expansions of the Interstate Highway System advocated by figures such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and agencies including the Federal Highway Administration and the National Capital Planning Commission. Early proposals in the 1950s and 1960s were influenced by urban renewal initiatives tied to President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs and the National Environmental Policy Act processes that later shaped routing. Opposition by community organizations like ANC 6B, neighborhood activists such as those involved in the Anacostia Movement, and civic leaders from Georgetown University and the American Institute of Architects affected later modifications. Environmental assessments referenced the Anacostia Riverkeeper concerns and federal statutes including the Clean Water Act.

Construction phases involved contractors working under contracts administered by the District Department of Transportation and oversight from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for river crossings. The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge approaches were rebuilt in the 21st century with input from the National Capital Planning Commission, the Commission of Fine Arts, and consultants from firms that had previously worked on projects like Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project and San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge retrofits. Political figures such as Muriel Bowser, former Mayor of the District of Columbia, and members of the United States Congress supported funding via the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act and federal appropriations. Renaming and signage revisions were coordinated with entities including the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and involved compatibility with Federal Highway Administration standards.

The short corridor included numbered ramps and movements providing connections to: - Westbound entry from East Capitol Street and local streets near Capitol Hill serving Library of Congress and Supreme Court of the United States approaches. - Mainline junction with I-295 (Anacostia Freeway) providing movements toward Baltimore and Richmond, Virginia. - Ramps to Pennsylvania Avenue SE serving the Washington Navy Yard and Capitol Riverfront development, proximate to Navy Yard–Ballpark station (serving Washington Metro). - Eastbound exit to approaches for the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge and local access to Anacostia neighborhoods and Joint Base Anacostia–Bolling.

Proposals evaluated by the District Department of Transportation, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and the National Capital Planning Commission have ranged from full decommissioning and daylighting of the corridor to transformations into an urban boulevard modeled on projects like the Big Dig's Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway and the Embarcadero Freeway removal in San Francisco. Plans have considered multimodal investments involving Washington Metro expansions, Capital Bikeshare, and bus rapid transit proposals tied to WMATA and Maryland Transit Administration coordination. Regional initiatives linking to Anacostia Riverwalk Trail and the Southeast Federal Center redevelopment contemplate enhanced public spaces, Parks and Recreation-style amenities, and stormwater mitigation aligned with National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration projections.

The corridor's construction and operations prompted critiques from preservationists associated with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and community advocates from Anacostia Coordinating Council who cited impacts on historic districts such as Capitol Hill Historic District and social displacement reminiscent of controversies around Interstate 10 (New Orleans) and I-81 (Syracuse). Environmental groups including Sierra Club and the Anacostia Watershed Society highlighted effects on the Anacostia River ecosystem and stormwater runoff. Transportation planners from American Planning Association and academics at George Washington University and Georgetown University debated trade-offs between regional mobility and local urban design, referencing precedents like the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement project and the Inner Loop proposals in Baltimore. Contemporary advocacy for equitable redevelopment has involved stakeholders such as Local Initiatives Support Corporation and Enterprise Community Partners seeking community benefits and affordable housing commitments.

Category:Interstate Highways in the District of Columbia