of

asthma among Ward 8 residents

After reviewing the story of highways, we have seen their historic and present harms, as well as how highwaysto-boulevards projects can serve as powerful tools for revitalization However, the other question to address is “why should we redevelop the DC-295 now?”

1. Health impacts are happening now. Despite significant environmental restoration gains and advocacy efforts made in the past 40 years, today, Anacostia River Corridor residents are still disproportionately impacted by environmental hazards including air pollution, as well as the impacts of climate change, especially flood risk and extreme heat. Although air pollution levels in DC are considered within safety standards, around 20% of residents in Ward 8 (which is partially included in the Anacostia River Corridor), suffer from asthma compared to 12% in DC as a whole2 This difference can be tied closely to the presence of the highway.

2. Environmental risks are increasing. This plan focuses on creating sustainable and flood-resistant infrastructure, which will be critical as DC prepares for worsening flooding over the next 15 to 30 years. Due to global warming, sea levels are projected to rise subtantially over the coming decades. Since the Anacostia is part of the greater Chesapeake water system, as sea level rises and storms worsen, existing issues of stormwater overflow into the Anacostia River stand to be exacerbated, and have detrimental impacts on aging and overburdened infrastructure.

3. Development pressures threaten housing security. A project at this scale presents a remarkable opportunity to address DC’s housing crisis. As covered later in this plan, a lot of land can be opened up for new development with the removal of DC-295. The implications of this could increase affordable housing supply within the corridor if managed appropriately, and reduce the cost-burden of rent and homeownership for residents of Wards 7 and 8.

4. The future of transportation is multimodal. The removal of DC-295 offers an opportunity to push both the Anacostia River Corridor and DC towards a multimodal future. While ARUP forecasts the total urban vehicle count to increase by 3% annually, the proportion of cities’ population growth is moving at a much more rapid pace, bringing a shift in design paradigm from designing cities for cars to fitting vehicles into cities3.

5. There’s $$$ on the table. From a transportation perspective, federal funding will support Highway to Boulevard efforts through the Reconnecting Communities pilot program, which provides $1B over five years to reinvest in transportation infrastructure that better connects communities to economic opportunities4. For example, California recently announced $150M in state funding for a parallel program, with other states potentially following suit5. These funds can be distributed via planning grants to explore area-specific options that work for respective communities, making this the perfect time to begin exploring concrete alternatives to DC-295.