U.S. Route 50 in the District of Columbia

U.S. Route 50
Map of the District of Columbia with US 50 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by DDOT
Length:	9 mi (14 km)
Major junctions
West end:	I‑66 / US 50 in Rosslyn, VA
	I‑66 in Foggy Bottom US 1 in Downtown Washington I‑395 in Mount Vernon Square
East end:	US 50 near Cheverly, MD
Highway system
United States Numbered Highways List Bannered Divided Replaced Streets and Highways of Washington, D.C. Interstate U.S D.C. State-Named Streets ← US 29 I‑66 →

U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over 3,000 miles (4,800 km) from Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic Ocean, to West Sacramento, California, nearly to the Pacific Ocean. In the District of Columbia, US 50 passes between Arlington County, Virginia, and Prince George's County, Maryland, predominantly along surface streets, including a part of Constitution Avenue along the National Mall.

Route description

The Theodore Roosevelt Bridge over the Potomac River on I-66 and US 50, with the Rosslyn area of Arlington, Virginia, along the riverbank

The Department of Justice's Robert F. Kennedy Building, in the Federal Triangle along the north side of Constitution Avenue (US 50) in Washington, D.C.

South Facade of the White House, passed by US 50 in Washington, D.C.

The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., with US 50 and various buildings of the Federal Triangle to its north (left)

Eastbound

U.S. Route 50 and Interstate 66 enter the District of Columbia from Arlington, Virginia on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge over the Potomac River. US 50 traffic exits I-66 to Constitution Avenue, N.W., along the north side of the National Mall, passing the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the White House, the World War II Memorial, and the Washington Monument, then traveling between Federal Triangle's office buildings on the north and the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History, National Museum of Natural History, and a National Gallery of Art sculpture garden to its south.

Near the National Art Gallery, Route 50 turns left onto 6th Street, N.W., and after several blocks, right onto New York Avenue, N.W. The route continues northeast on New York Avenue through Northeast Washington, passing the United States National Arboretum. Beyond the Arboretum, New York Avenue becomes a freeway, with an off-level interchange with South Dakota Avenue, N.E. in the Fort Lincoln area. US 50 then crosses the Anacostia River and continues into Maryland, where it becomes the John Hanson Highway and soon has an interchange with the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

Westbound

US Route 50 enters the District of Columbia from Maryland on the John Hanson Highway, which, as noted above, eventually becomes New York Avenue, N.E. The westbound route then follows New York Avenue into Northwest Washington, then turns right onto L Street, N.W., left onto 9th Street, N.W., and right onto Constitution Avenue, N.W. After passing the National Mall, it then joins Interstate 66, which it follows across the Potomac River into Virginia on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge.

Overlaps

Northbound U.S. Route 1 is concurrent with eastbound U.S. Route 50 along Constitution Avenue from 14th Street to 6th Street, N.W., and along 6th Street from Constitution Avenue to New York Avenue, N.W. Southbound U.S. Route 1 is concurrent with westbound U.S. Route 50 along L Street between 6th and 9th streets, N.W., and along 9th Street from L Street to Constitution Avenue. Interstate 66 and U.S. Route 50 are concurrent on the Theodore Roosevelt Bridge. U.S. Route 1 Alternate is concurrent with Route 50 along New York Avenue between 6th Street, N.W., and Bladensburg Road, N.E.

Interstate 395 junction

The northern terminus of Interstate 395 is at a signaled intersection with New York Avenue and 4th Street, N.W. At that intersection, traffic from New York Avenue in either direction may turn south onto Interstate 395, but traffic on northbound Interstate 395 may turn only right (east) onto New York Avenue, but not west toward downtown Washington.

History

U.S. 50 shield on Constitution Avenue across from the Federal Reserve Building

The New York Avenue Industrial Freeway, if built, would have replaced New York Avenue as U.S. Route 50 east of Interstate 395.

Major intersections

The entire route is in the District of Columbia.

Location	mi	km	Destinations	Notes
Potomac River	0	0	I‑66 west / US 50 west to GW Parkway	Continuation into Virginia
	0	0	Theodore Roosevelt Bridge
Foggy Bottom			I‑66 east / E Street Expressway	Interchange; Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; Eastern terminus of concurrency with I-66; I-66 Exit 2
			Independence Avenue SW (via Ohio Drive SW)	Interchange; Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
	1	2	23rd Street NW	Eastern terminus of freeway section
National Mall–Downtown	2	3	US 1 south (14th Street NW) to I‑395 south	Western terminus of concurrency with US 1
			12th Street Expressway	Northern terminus of the 12th Street Expressway (one-way northbound)
	4	6	9th Street Expressway south to I-395 / 9th Street NW north US 1 north / US 50 east	Northern terminus of the 9th Street Expressway (one-way southbound) Southern terminus of one-way pairs (6th Street NW north / 9th Street NW south)
Downtown			US 1 Alt. north (Pennsylvania Avenue NW)	Southern terminus of US 1 Alternate; No access from US 1 south
Mount Vernon Square			US 1 north (6th Street NW) / New York Avenue NW west	Eastern terminus of concurrency with US 1 and one-way pairs; US 50 west connects to 9th Street via L Street
			I‑395 south (3rd Street Tunnel)	Northern terminus of I-395
Gateway–Arboretum	7	11	US 1 Alt. north (Bladensburg Road NE) to US 1 – Bladensburg, MD	Western terminus of freeway section
			36th Place NE	Interchange; Eastbound exit and entrance
Fort Lincoln			South Dakota Avenue NE / Fort Lincoln Drive NE	Interchange; No access from southbound South Dakota Avenue to westbound US 50; No access to Fort Lincoln Drive from US 50 east
Anacostia Park	9	14	US 50 east (John Hanson Highway) to I-295 south / Baltimore-Washington Parkway – Annapolis, Richmond, Baltimore	Continuation into Maryland
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

External links

Route map: Bing / Google

• District of Columbia Highway(s), from Yurasko.net
• Washington D.C. Interstates and Freeways, from Roads to the Future