After a saga spanning years and including everything from purple prose from city officials to a skeptical arts commission and, of course, the drama of eminent domain, it’s finally here: There’s a new future on the horizon for the Wendy’s-less tangle of streets commonly referred to as Dave Thomas Circle in Northeast D.C.

The D.C. Department of Transportation on Monday presented its final plans to redesign the dangerously chaotic intersection, a triangle at the confluence of Florida Ave NE, New York Ave NE, First St. NE, and Eckington Place NE.

“A combination of unusual geometry, turning movements, closely spaced intersections, and high traffic volumes have created safety and operational issues,” the website that lays out DDOT’s new plans explains.

Those problems have only been exacerbated by the gentrification and growth of the NoMa neighborhood, the presence of a major federal building (the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms), and a nearby Metro station (NoMa/Gallaudet, on the Red Line). The intersection is one of the city’s most dangerous, and it’s got the reviews to back that up: The place has been called a host of flattering names, including a “juggernaut,” an “urban aneurysm,” “failing,” “kind of lawless,” and “a hellscape.”

Under the DDOT plan, First St. NE and Florida Ave NE will both be opened to two-way traffic, and the department will build protected bike lanes on the east and west sides of Florida Ave. and on either side of Eckington Pl NE. First St. NE will also have a protected bike lane.

The redesign also creates three new public spaces — designed by the NoMa Parks Foundation and the NoMa Business Improvement District — that could host public art or parks. The design for those spaces was the subject of some initial skepticism from the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, which thought the original plans for parks in the area was trying to do too much. (The commission later offered its approval for the project.)

The plans for Dave Thomas Circle have been a long time coming. The District began studying improvements to the intersection in 2017, after instituting some stop gap measures there in 2010. DDOT presented a nearly done design to the public in spring 2021. Construction is expected to start next summer. The project — including the redesign and the purchase of the plot of land in the middle of the circle itself — is budgeted to cost $35 million over six years.

That includes $13.1 million paid to purchase that land under eminent domain.  Until recently, the land was the home of a Wendy’s restaurant location that served up burgers and a seemingly endless fountain of punny witticisms.

Previously:
‘A Juggernaut That Needs A Solution’: Bowser Commits To Fixing One Of The City’s Most Vexing Intersections
Arts Commission Criticizes Plan For Redesigned ‘Dave Thomas Circle’ At New York And Florida Avenues
Say Goodbye To That Wendy’s At The Hellish Dave Thomas Circle
As D.C. Moves Forward On Redoing Dave Thomas Circle, Wendy’s Still Has Some Beef To Settle