Georgia Ave. temporarily closes to cars, opens to pedestrians

Georgia Ave. closed to cars on Saturday as part of the Open Streets Project. (WTOP/Chris Cruise)
Lori and Jennifer rolled down Georgia Ave. on roller skates. (WTOP/Chris Cruise)
Lori and Jennifer rolled down Georgia Ave. on roller skates. (WTOP/Chris Cruise)
Pedestrians were able to use the car-free Georgia Ave. for walking, biking and other recreational activities. (WTOP/Chris Cruise)
Thousands of people spent Saturday along the road. (WTOP/Chris Cruise)
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The District prioritized people over cars on Saturday by closing three miles of busy Georgia Avenue NW from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., stretching from Missouri Avenue south to Barry Street near Howard University.

The city was participating in the Open Streets Project, which has been adopted by 70 cities in North America.

The project promotes and supports health, wellness, and physical activity by temporarily closing streets to cars, encouraging people to explore public spaces on foot, scooter, bike, roller skates — or whatever moves them. It gives residents a chance to see what their neighborhood is like when cars aren’t whizzing by.

Thousands of people moved freely down the avenue, many with kids and dogs.

The District plans to expand the Open Streets program to every Ward.

Chris Cruise

Christopher Cruise is a writer, reporter and anchor at WTOP. He has worked at The Voice of America, where he anchored newscasts for the Learning English branch. He is a backup host for Westwood’s morning radio news programs, “America in the Morning” and “First Light,” and contributes to them weekly.

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