This underpass in DC just got a major makeover, courtesy of muralists from around the city

One of DC’s busiest highways is transformed into a public mural gallery

D.C.’s Southwest Business Improvement District unveiled 12 new murals along 4th Street in Southwest, right under where I-695 splits away from I-395.

The Southwest BID tasked artists from around the city with giving life to the underpass.

“I see light. I see color. Beyond the art I see creativity. I see hope. I just see a canvas that’s just full of what the city represents,” said a woman admiring the art.

One of the dozen murals was made by Luther Wright from Southeast and includes several people playing instruments among a swirl of colors and shapes.

“This mural is called jazz cats,” said Luther Wright, one of the muralists from Southeast. “It’s actually for my love of D.C. music. I grew up on go-go, jazz, live instruments, so this is my tribute to all the live musicians in D.C.”

Several people walking the underpass Thursday stopped to admire the art.

“Each one you look at is different, and depending on what day you’re driving through you’ll look at one and be interested in that one and then the next time you’ll see something different,” said Jarrett Ferrier. “Repeated times coming through, you’re always going to see something different.”

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John Domen

John started working at WTOP in 2016 after having grown up in Maryland listening to the station as a child. While he got his on-air start at small stations in Pennsylvania and Delaware, he's spent most of his career in the D.C. area, having been heard on several local stations before coming to WTOP.

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