- Independence Avenue (Washington D.C.)
In
Washington, D.C. , Independence Avenue is a major east-west street running just south of theUnited States Capitol in the city's Southwest and Southeast quadrants. The avenue carries heavy commuter traffic on weekdays and heavy tourist traffic on the weekends.Original name
In Washington's Cartesian-coordinate-based street-naming system, Independence Avenue was originally known as South B Street. If it had stayed in the city's lettered street system, it would today be known as B Street, S.W. and S.E. However,
Constitution Avenue was originally known as North B Street, and having two major streets running so close together in parallel, both called B Street, would presumably be too confusing for many people. However, the street on the other side of theAnacostia River corresponding to Independence Avenue is called B Street, S.E.Termini
The western terminus of Independence Avenue is at 23rd Street, S.W., south of the
Lincoln Memorial . At that terminus, Independence Avenue joins Ohio Drive, which connects the avenue with theRock Creek and Potomac Parkway ,Interstate 66 , theE Street Expressway , and theWhitehurst Freeway . At the eastern terminus, Independence Avenue curves around theRobert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium to join theWhitney Young Memorial Bridge .Locations of interest along avenue
Because Independence Avenue forms the southern boundary of the
National Mall , it is lined on the north side by severalSmithsonian museums and on the south side by federal agencies, including theUnited States Department of Agriculture (USDA),Department of Health and Human Services ,Voice of America (VOA),Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),Coast Guard , and theUnited States Department of Energy . The USDA occupies buildings on both sides of the avenue, connected by a pedestrian bridge over the avenue. Independence Avenue also passes by theUnited States Botanic Garden , the House office buildings and theLibrary of Congress and through the city's Capitol Hill and Lincoln Park neighborhoods.Memorials
Memorials along Independence Avenue include the
John Ericsson National Memorial , theKorean War Veterans Memorial , theDistrict of Columbia War Memorial , theJohn Paul Jones Memorial, and theUnited States Holocaust Memorial Museum .ignificance in city's road network
From 23rd Street, S.W., to
Pennsylvania Avenue , S.E., Independence Avenue is part of the National Highway System. Other major traffic routes intersecting the avenue areMaine Avenue and Washington Avenue, the latter of which is a short segment of the National Highway System connecting toSouth Capitol Street .
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