A bus in downtown D.C.

Elvert Barnes / Flickr

D.C. is launching dedicated bus lanes along H and I streets in downtown D.C. in an attempt to speed up the major bus routes that run along these corridors.

The new lanes will be a part of a pilot program through the summer, and will serve more than 20 bus routes, the Washington Post reports. The lanes will be exclusive to buses from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and again from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. from June 3 through September 30. Along with buses, bicycles and marked taxis will also be allowed into the lanes.

The H Street dedicated bus lane will go from Pennsylvania Avenue NW to 14th Street NW, while the I Street lane will go from 13th Street NW to Pennsylvania Avenue NW, according to the outlet. Officials hope to attract more riders to the buses with improved service on the bus lanes.

In a conversation with reporters on April 18, director of the District Department of Transportation, Jeff Marootian, said that the department would evaluate the bus lanes after the pilot to determine whether they should be made permanent.

Marootian also said at that meeting that DDOT had collected data to help them improve upon another temporary bus lane on Rhode Island Avenue last year (it was put in place amid a partial Red Line shut down), which suffered significant problems with enforcement. Parked cars routinely blocked the dedicated lane, forcing buses into other lanes of traffic.

The city has slowly started experimenting with dedicated bus lanes in recent years, putting them in place on a short stretch of Georgia Avenue in 2016. DDOT has also been working for years to study and implement dedicated bus lanes on 16th Street NW, one of the city’s most congested corridors. Officials say they will open in 2020.

DDOT is also working to redesign K Street to prioritize buses and bikes.

Jordan Pascale contributed reporting.