Repair Klingle Road

On the Road Again
It's a mile and a half of road in Northwest D.C. and its been at the center of a big controversy that may soon be over. To the objection of Mayor Tony Williams, the D.C. Council voted against a measure to permanently close Klingle Road.

WASHINGTON -- It's a mile and a half of road in Northwest D.C. and its been at the heart of a big controversy that may soon be over.

The District Council voted against an amendment Tuesday that would have closed Klingle Road for good.

Council Chair Linda Cropp says 3,200 cars used to travel across Klingle Road each day, but a flood more than ten years ago forced its closure. Cropp says since then, other cross-town roads like Porter Street and Military Road have been overloaded with traffic.

Councilmember Carol Schwartz says there was never a decision to close Klingle Road. She says it's been closed since 1991 because it was washed out and the money wasn't there to repair it. Now she says it's time.


A look at Klingle Road in Northwest. (Photo: www.RepairKlingleRoad.org)

But councilmember Jack Evans voted to keep the road closed. He says "there are plenty of highways to get around." Evans supports using the road as a nature trail and bike path, sharing the vision as D.C. Mayor Tony Williams.

The Council voted five to eight in favor of re-opening the road.

Klingle Road stretches through Rock Creek Park in Northwest. It begins in the Ward One neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, travels under the Porter Street cloverleaf and ends in the Ward 3 neighborhood of Woodley Park.