Connecticut Avenue Line

The Connecticut Avenue Line, designated Routes L1 and L2, is a daily bus route in Northwest Washington, D.C., United States. The L1 provides peak-direction rush hour service during weekdays, while the L2 operates seven days a week.

L1, L2
Connecticut Avenue Line
Overview
SystemMetrobus
OperatorWashington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
GarageWestern
Ended serviceL4: June 17, 2012
Route
LocaleNorthwest, Montgomery County, Maryland
Communities servedFoggy Bottom, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, Wakefield, Chevy Chase, Bethesda
Landmarks servedFarragut Square, Farragut West station, Farragut North station, West Potomac Park, GWU, Foggy Bottom-GWU station, Washington Circle, Dupont Circle station, Woodley Park station, National Zoo, Cleveland Park station, UDC, Van Ness-UDC station, Chevy Chase Circle, Friendship Heights station (Friday and Saturday late nights only), Bethesda station (Friday and Saturday late nights only)
StartWest Potomac Park (L1)
Farragut Square (L2)
ViaConnecticut Avenue
EndChevy Chase Circle Bethesda station
LengthL1 (inbound): 6.4 miles (10.30 km)
L2 (inbound): 5.4 miles (8.69 km)
Service
LevelDaily
Frequency15-20 minutes
Weekday Peak Hours
20 minutes
Weekday Midday
20-30 minutes
Weekends
Journey timeL1: 55 minutes
L2: 40 minutes
OperatesWeekdays (L1 only)
6:40 AM - 8:46 AM
3:50 PM - 6:34 PM
Weekdays (L2 only)
5:05 AM - 1:00AM (Monday-Thursday)
5:05 AM - 2:00 AM (Friday)
Weekends (L2 only)
5:42 AM - 2:00 AM (Saturday)
6:00 AM - 12:30 AM (Sunday)
TransfersSmarTrip only
TimetableConnecticut Avenue Line
← K12  {{{system_nav}}}  L8 →

The current routing also incorporates Route L4, which operated with the L1 and L2 until 2012.[1][2]

Route description

The L1 begins at the West Potomac Park apartments at 18th and C Streets. It jogs to Constitution Avenue via 18th and 20th Streets, and turns right on 23rd Street. The route proceeds through Foggy Bottom and the campus of the George Washington University until Washington Circle, where it switches to New Hampshire Avenue for just a few blocks. The route turns north onto 20th Street to avoid Dupont Circle, and eventually reaches Connecticut Avenue by way of Massachusetts Avenue and Florida Avenue. The L2 starts at Farragut Square, which is also the southern terminus of Connecticut Avenue, and proceeds north along the avenue. It passes underneath Dupont Circle via the Connecticut Avenue underpass, and is joined by the L1 at an intersection with Florida Avenue and S Street.

Now together, the two routes continue north along the avenue. The L1 crosses Rock Creek Park via the Taft Bridge, while the L2 takes a brief detour into Adams Morgan via Columbia Road, Calvert Street, and the Duke Ellington Bridge. Following Connecticut Avenue northbound, the routes serve multiple stations of the Red Line––namely, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, and Van Ness, until the Red Line diverts from Connecticut Avenue. The routes also pass through the Woodley Park and Cleveland Park neighborhoods, of which the former also includes the National Zoological Park. In the Forest Hills neighborhood, the routes also provide access to the Van Ness Campus of the University of the District of Columbia, the district's only public university.

Both routes terminate at Chevy Chase Circle, just south of Western Avenue and the Maryland state line. Here, the two routes provide transfers to the L8, also known as the Connecticut Avenue–Maryland Line. Essentially the L1 and L2's continuation into Maryland, the L8 begins at the nearby Friendship Heights station and serves Connecticut Avenue in Chevy Chase, Kensington, and Aspen Hill.

L1 stops

L2 stops

History

At different points, the Connecticut Avenue Line was al operated by the L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L7, L8, and L9. Eventually, the lines were converted into the Connecticut Avenue Line as the L1, L2, and L4, and then the Connecticut Avenue–Maryland Line as the L7 and L8.[3][4]

Until June 17, 2012, the Connecticut Avenue Line was also served by the L4. The route operated from Dupont Circle to Chevy Chase Circle via Connecticut Avenue, of which the whole route overlapped with the L1 and L2.

2012 Changes

On June 17, 2012, the line was restructured where the L1 would operate along Virginia Avenue NW, between 23rd and C streets NW. Route L2 would operate directly along Connecticut Avenue between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square, while using the underpass at Dupont Circle, except for a diversion via Calvert Street and Columbia Road. Route L4 would be discontinued and replaced by routes L1 and L2 as the route was a duplicate to both the routes.[5]

2016 Changes

On December 18, 2016, route L2 late night trips on Fridays and Saturdays were extended to both Friendship Heights station and Bethesda station due to earlier closure of Metrorail.[6]

2018 Proposed Changes

In 2018, WMATA released a study on the L1 and L2. Proposals sets goes as follows:[7]

  • Convert all route L1 trips to route L2 in order to simplify service options and increase weekday frequency between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square
  • During weekends, terminate every other Route L2 trip at Woodley Park. Between Chevy Chase Circle to Woodley Park, buses would run every 20 minutes instead of every 30 minutes, BUT between Woodley Park and Farragut Square, buses would run every 60 minutes instead of every 30 minutes.
  • Have route L1 operate daily service terminate at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue NW instead of continuing south on 23rd Street and east on Constitution Avenue NW and northbound L1 trips be rerouted to operate along to go around Dupont Circle and north on Connecticut Ave NW instead of its current route via Massachusetts and Florida Avenues NW.

However none of the proposals went through.[8][9]

2020 Proposed changes

On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed to eliminate all route L1 service due to low federal funding. Route L1 has not operated since March 13, 2020 due to Metro's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.[10]

References
  1. Robert Thomson (February 19, 2009). "First Look at Possible Metro Service Cuts". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 4, 2016.
  2. "WASHINGTON DC TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Retrieved 2019-11-16.
  3. "New Subway Stops Bring Metrobus Service Changes". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  4. "WASHINGTON DC TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. "Metro News Release". wmata.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2018. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  6. "Metrobus Service Changes, December 18 | WMATA". www.wmata.com. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  7. "ANC 3F resolution: L1/L2 bus proposals need more explanation and more community input | Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood". 18 May 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  8. "Metrobus Service Evaluation Summary" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  9. "Metro changes plans for L1 and L2 bus routes after riders push back | Forest Hills Connection || News and Life in Our DC Neighborhood". 25 June 2018. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  10. "Proposed Service Adjustments by Jurisdiction" (PDF). Retrieved 27 September 2020.

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