K Street is a major

thoroughfare A thoroughfare is a primary passage or way as a transit route through regularly trafficked areas, whether by road on dry land or, by extension, via watercraft or aircraft. On land, a thoroughfare may refer to anything from a multi-lane highwa ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

capital of

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

, known as a center for numerous

lobbyist In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

s and advocacy groups. In political discourse, "K Street" has become a metonym for Washington's lobbying industry since many lobbying firms were traditionally located on the section in Northwest Washington which passes from Georgetown through a portion of Downtown D.C. Since the late 1980s, however, many of the largest lobbying firms have moved out; , only one of the top-20 lobbying firms has a K Street address.

Location

In the Washington D.C. street grid there are three (3) unconnected east-to-west street segments designated as K Street NW / NE, and also a southern K Street. The term "K Street" usually refers to the middle segment of the northern K Street (NW or NE). The middle segment of K Street NW / NE, which carries a segment of

U.S. Route 29 U.S. Route 29 (US 29) is a north–south United States highway that runs for from Pensacola, Florida to the western suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland in the Southern United States, connecting the Florida Panhandle to the Baltimore-Washington me ...

, begins in the city's Northwest quadrant as K Street NW, just west of the abutment of the old Aqueduct Bridge on the Georgetown waterfront. The street travels east underneath the

Whitehurst Freeway Whitehurst may refer to: People: * Albert Whitehurst, English footballer * Andrew Whitehurst, British visual effects artist * Billy Whitehurst, English professional footballer during the 1980s * Charlie Whitehurst, NFL quarterback * David Whitehurs ...

, crosses Rock Creek on the K Street Bridge, and continues through downtown D.C. After its intersection with

North Capitol Street North Capitol Street is a street in Washington, D.C. that separates the Northwest and Northeast quadrants of the city. Route description North Capitol Street begins at D Street in Lower Senate Park, between Louisiana and Delaware Avenues north ...

, the street's designation changes to K Street NE as it enters the

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

quadrant. The street ends at

Florida Avenue Florida Avenue is a major street in Washington, D.C. It was originally named Boundary Street, because it formed the northern boundary of the Federal City under the 1791 L'Enfant Plan. With the growth of the city beyond its original borders, Bound ...

in the Near Northeast neighborhood, just south of Gallaudet University. K Street NE briefly reappears further east in the Carver neighborhood, extending from Blandensburg Road for six blocks to Maryland Avenue NE. The westernmost (Georgetown) segment of K street NW was known as Water Street prior to the Georgetown street renaming of 1895. West of 33rd Street NW, the

United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for providing postal service in the U ...

still recognizes both "K Street" and "Water Street" in addresses. The westernmost end of K Street occupies the former right of way of the

Georgetown Branch Georgetown or George Town may refer to: Places Africa *George, South Africa, formerly known as Georgetown * Janjanbureh, Gambia, formerly known as Georgetown * Georgetown, Ascension Island, main settlement of the British territory of Ascension Is ...

of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. When that line was abandoned, K Street was extended west to the

Washington Canoe Club The Washington Canoe Club is a boat club on the Potomac River. It is located at 3700 K Street, Northwest, Washington, D.C., in the Georgetown neighborhood. It was established in 1904. The Canoe Club was listed in the National Register of Histori ...

. The rest of the Georgetown right of way is now occupied by the

Capital Crescent Trail The Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) is a , shared-use rail trail that runs from Georgetown in Washington, D.C., to Bethesda, Maryland. An extension of the trail from Bethesda to Silver Spring along a route formerly known as the Georgetown Branch ...

, which begins at the terminus of K Street. The southern K Street runs between the Potomac and

Anacostia Anacostia is a historic neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. Its downtown is located at the intersection of Good Hope Road and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. It is located east of the Anacostia River, after which the neighborhood is na ...

rivers, crossing the

Southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

and

Southeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...

quadrants (as K Street SW and K Street SE, respectively).

Traffic configuration

Current

K Street provides a major east-west thoroughfare for traffic through Washington, primarily from

Mount Vernon Square Mount Vernon Square is a city square and neighborhood in the Northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C. The square is located where the following streets would otherwise intersect: Massachusetts Avenue NW, New York Avenue NW, K Street NW, and 8th ...

to the

. The street continues through Georgetown under the Whitehurst Freeway; however most westbound traffic exits to the freeway. A portion of the street travels in a tunnel underneath

Washington Circle Washington Circle is a traffic circle in the northwest quadrant of Washington, D.C., United States. It is located on the border of the Foggy Bottom and West End neighborhoods, which is a part of the Ward 2 section in Washington. It is the inte ...

, allowing through traffic to avoid the

circle A circle is a shape consisting of all points in a plane that are at a given distance from a given point, the centre. Equivalently, it is the curve traced out by a point that moves in a plane so that its distance from a given point is con ...

. Portions of the street are divided into both "local" (or service) lanes and "express" lanes in both directions.

Proposed

The

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA ), commonly referred to as Metro, is a tri-jurisdictional government agency that operates transit service in the Washington metropolitan area. WMATA was created by the United States Con ...

has been studying the conversion of K Street into part of a proposed busway. The route would begin at

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

, cross downtown Washington on K Street, switch to Massachusetts Avenue at

, and end at

Union Station A union station (also known as a union terminal, a joint station in Europe, and a joint-use station in Japan) is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway companies, allowing passengers to ...

. Currently, the

DC Circulator The DC Circulator is a bus system in Washington, D.C. The District of Columbia Department of Transportation operates the service in a public–private partnership with RATP Dev. The DC Circulator buses are similar to shuttle buses since they ...

provides service along most of the proposed route, although it must share right of way with other vehicles. A streetcar line spanning from 26th Street NW to the H Street line's terminus at Union Station is planned as the next phase of DC's streetcar expansion. A proposal announced April 7, 2022, would redesign K Street between 12th and 21st Streets, N.W. The proposal would remove the service lanes in favor of dedicated bus and

bicycle lanes Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except ...

. Under the proposal, construction would begin in the spring of 2023.

Lobbying

"K Street" is the common and often negative metonym for Washington's

lobbying In politics, lobbying, persuasion or interest representation is the act of lawfully attempting to influence the actions, policies, or decisions of government officials, most often legislators or members of regulatory agencies. Lobbying, which ...

industry. Many of the major Washington lobbying firms were located on the section in Northwest Washington which passes from Georgetown through a portion of downtown D.C., although the strip has grown less popular for lobbyists in recent years. The major lobbying firms that remain on K Street, as of 2017, include CGCN Group and K&L Gates. The 2003 HBO

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

'' K Street'' about a lobbying firm takes its name and location from the street.

References

External links

K Street Busway project leaflet
{{Streets in Washington, DC Streets in Washington, D.C. U.S. Route 29