Thursday, September 8, 2011

The MLK Ave/MLK Drive Confusion

In July of this year, the DC Council voted in favor of renaming the haphazard stretch between the new MLK Memorial on the Tidal Basin and Anacostia "Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive." Not Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, which already exists in Anacostia and elsewhere in Ward 8, but Martin Luther King Drive.


at the corner of MLK Ave/Drive and Good Hope Road


at the corner of 13th/onramp and Good Hope Road/MLK Drive..?

But as you can see above, where exactly MLK Avenue ends and MLK Drive begins is a bit confusing. Are there sections of MLK Avenue that are also MLK Drive? Are there parts of Good Hope Road, a street that intersects with MLK Avenue, also now MLK Drive? Confusing! (and redundant...)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Confusing! (and redundant...)"

and ridiculous!!

Anonymous said...

I just say that sign at Good Hope and was thinking WTF?! Seems completely crazy but not surprising for DC.

IMGoph said...

...and, given the way the road was designated in the legislation, you can drive MLK Drive northbound, out of Anacostia, but you can't drive it southbound, into Anacostia. From what I understand, it was not designated on the bridge that heads into the neighborhood, making it a one-way 'street' for part of its stretch.

If I'm right (I could be wrong), this is just a sloppy, sloppy job on the council's part. Wouldn't be surprising at all, though.

CuneytD said...

Nice coverage, this does seem confusing.

I am writing an article about MLK Ave. for a school newspaper. Would you be ok with us using the first picture of MLK Ave from your blog?

Thanks.

David Garber said...

Go for it! Thanks for asking.