Renovated Columbus Plaza a historic gateway to the Nation's Capital

Readers of this blog know that DOT has supported infrastructure repairs and modernization in every state across the nation. Revitalizing our roadways, transitways, runways, and railways not only keeps America moving forward; it also creates jobs and helps position our communities for greater economic competitiveness.

Those critical investments have also paid dividends right here in DOT's backyard, Washington, DC. And earlier today, Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff was at DC's Union Station to help cut the ribbon on the newly renovated Columbus Plaza.

Union Station is more than just the landmark gateway to our nation’s capital. It's an important part of President Obama’s vision for a revitalized Northeast passenger rail corridor. Our investment in Columbus Plaza is part of a long-term effort to transform the station into a 21st Century transportation hub ready to provide high-speed rail services that meet the needs of the millions of travelers who pass through this station each year.

The historic station also houses DC's intercity bus hub, is the busiest stop in the Metrorail transit system, and serves as a point of departure for many tours of our capital city.

Columbus Plaza sits in front of the station, with sidewalks and roadways that help manage all forms of traffic into and out of the busy station. The renovation, funded in part by FTA, performed long-overdue road, sidewalk, and security improvements. The project also created new traffic patterns, making access to the station safer for pedestrians, bicyclists, public transit buses, taxis, tour buses, and private vehicles.

Among other improvements, the Plaza redesign (bottom) eliminates the need (top) for cars exiting the station to loop back. Photos courtesy Washington Post

These improvements are just the latest in a long line of investments in Union Station that will benefit people and businesses in the District – as well as travelers along the East Coast – for generations to come.  As we move forward with Amtrak’s Union Station Master Plan, this 100-year-old station will become even more of a regional and national transportation hub. Today, the station hosts more than 100,000 passenger trips each day. And over the next 20 years, this plan will triple the number of passengers the station can handle and double train service by expanding track and platform capacity.

In addition, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority is working with Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation to expand Metrorail capacity and create direct links from Metro to intercity bus service and to the new H Street streetcar, expected to launch later this year.

DOT is proud of its role in helping make the Columbus Plaza project happen. But we're also pleased to be part of a larger partnership in this important work, including the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation, the National Park Service, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation, and Amtrak.

And we can't wait to get going on the next step in this exciting long-term plan.