M Street (Washington, D.C.)

Four streets of the same name in Washington, D.C.

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38°54′20″N 77°02′29″W﻿ / ﻿38.9056494°N 77.0414223°W﻿ / 38.9056494; -77.0414223

Congestion along M Street in 2008

The name "M Street" refers to two major roads in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. Because of the Cartesian coordinate system used to name streets in Washington, the name "M Street" can be used to refer to any east–west street located twelve blocks north or south of the dome of the United States Capitol (not thirteen blocks, as there is no J Street). Thus, in all four quadrants of the city there are streets called "M Street", which are disambiguated by quadrant designations, namely, M Street NW, NE, SW, and SE.

## M Street NW

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The 1900 block of M Street NW The Demonet Building at the intersection of Connecticut Avenue (right) and M Street NW (left)

In Northwest Washington, M Street is a major street downtown and the main east–west street in the Georgetown neighborhood.

M Street NW begins at the Key Bridge, which crosses the Potomac River at the 3500 block. To the west of 36th Street, M Street turns into Canal Road. M Street was originally called Bridge Street until the roads in Georgetown were renamed in 1895 to conform to the street names used in Pierre Charles L'Enfant's original plan for the federal city. Where 32nd Street would otherwise be, M Street intersects with Wisconsin Avenue. At 29th Street, it meets the western terminus of Pennsylvania Avenue. This is the last major intersection before the M Street Bridge over Rock Creek, which forms the eastern border of Georgetown. The section in Georgetown carries heavy commuter traffic because it connects Pennsylvania Avenue with the Key Bridge and Canal Road.[1]

Looking east on M Street NW in Georgetown

From Pennsylvania Avenue to Thomas Circle at 14th Street, M Street is designated for one-way traffic with vehicles driving westbound-only. M Street once again becomes two-way in Georgetown. This stretch is highly developed, consisting mainly of apartments from 26th to 21st and businesses from 21st to Thomas Circle.

From 14th Street to 5th Street NW, M Street is again two-way. Although, halfway through the 900 block, the street turns eastbound. Between 9th and 7th Streets NW, it passes underneath the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. From 5th Street to North Capitol Street, it assumes a complex traffic pattern because of the intersections and near-intersections of several high-traffic streets: M, New York Avenue/U.S. Route 50, the northern terminus of Interstate 395, New Jersey Avenue, and North Capitol Street. Traffic is west-to-east from 5th to 4th, east-to-west from New York to 4th, and west-to-east from New York through North Capitol and onto M Street NE.

## M Street NE

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M Street NE runs west-to-east from North Capitol Street to Florida Avenue between 6th and 7th, where it terminates at the gates of Gallaudet University. Along the way, it uses an overpass to avoid the Union Station rail yard.

Because the intervening Trinidad neighborhood does not follow the grid pattern, M Street does not emerge again until Bladensburg Road (between 16th and 17th). This two-way stretch dead-ends after intersecting with Maryland Avenue (where 26th Street would be), because the remaining land between that intersection and the Anacostia River is occupied by the United States National Arboretum and Langston Golf Course. The portion of Washington across the Anacostia follows its own variant of the grid pattern, so while there is no M Street NE, the Deanwood neighborhood of Anacostia does have a Meade Street NE in the location where M Street would have re-emerged.

## M Street SW/SE

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M Street SW in the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood

About a mile south of the U.S. Capitol, M Street is a major east–west traffic thoroughfare connecting Maine Avenue with Interstate 295. The Potomac River prevents M Street from extending farther west than 6th Street/Maine Avenue. Likewise, the Anacostia River limits M Street SE east of 11th to being a named on-ramp for I-295 (the 11th Street Bridges to the immediate south and the Southeast Freeway to the immediate north), Water Street SE (home of several boating clubs), and Pennsylvania Avenue SE at the John Philip Sousa Bridge before terminating.

The most prominent intersection on M Street between those points is with South Capitol Street. M Street runs along the northern edge of the Washington Navy Yard (between 1st and 11th) and near Nationals Park, between 1st and South Capitol.

Another segment of M Street SE continues east of the Anacostia River. Beginning at the Anacostia Freeway (DC-295, roughly where 29th Street would be), it runs diagonally southeast for two blocks, merges with Anacostia Road for one block, then straightens out for two blocks before terminating at 34th Street SE. Its route is blocked by Massachusetts Avenue SE and Fort Dupont Park.

## References

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1. ^ "A cyclist's death, a dangerous crossing and D.C.'s struggle to reduce road fatalities - The Washington Post". The Washington Post.

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Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

History|

* Organic Act of 1801
* Organic Act of 1871
* Street renaming
* The Exorcist
* Washington County, D.C.
* Washington and Georgetown Railroad

Historic sites|

* 1222 28th Street NW
* Car Barn
* Chesapeake and Ohio Canal
* City Tavern Club
* The Corcoran School
* Customhouse and Post Office
* Dumbarton House
* Dumbarton Oaks
* Evermay
* Exorcist steps
* Farmers and Mechanics Bank
* Forrest-Marbury House
* Georgetown Market
* Georgetown Neighborhood Library
* Georgetown University Astronomical Observatory
* Halcyon House
* John Stoddert Haw House
* Healy Hall
* Laird-Dunlop House
* Lauinger Library
* McDonough Gymnasium
* Old North
* Old Stone House
* Isaac Owens House
* Newton D. Baker House
* Prospect House
* Quality Hill
* Smith Row
* Statue of John Carroll
* Three Sisters
* Tidewater Lock
* Tudor Place
* Van Ness Mausoleum
* Vigilant Firehouse
* Volta Laboratory and Bureau

Houses of worship|

* Christ Church
* Dahlgren Chapel
* Georgetown Visitation Monastery
* Grace Episcopal Church
* Holy Trinity Catholic Church
* Kesher Israel
* Mount Zion United Methodist Church
* Oak Hill Cemetery Chapel
* St. John's Episcopal Church

Streets and bridges|

* Aqueduct Bridge
* Dumbarton Bridge
* K Street Bridge
* Key Bridge
* L Street Bridge
* M Street
* M Street Bridge
* P Street
* P Street Bridge
* Pennsylvania Avenue Bridge
* Whitehurst Freeway
* Wisconsin Avenue

Education|

* British International School of Washington
* Duke Ellington School of the Arts
* Georgetown Female Seminary
* Georgetown University
* Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School
* Holy Trinity School

Parks and
cemeteries|

* Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park
* Dumbarton Oaks Park
* Georgetown Waterfront Park
* Francis Scott Key Memorial
* Glover-Archbold Park
* Georgetown University Jesuit Community Cemetery
* Montrose Park
* Mount Zion Cemetery
* Oak Hill Cemetery
* Presbyterian Burying Ground

Establishments|

* Baked & Wired
* Embassy of France
* Embassy of Mongolia
* Embassy of Thailand
* Embassy of Ukraine
* Embassy of Venezuela
* Filomena Ristorante
* Four Seasons Hotel
* Georgetown Cupcake
* Georgetown Park
* Georgetown Visitation Monastery
* House of Sweden
* Martin's Tavern
* MedStar Georgetown University Hospital
* Potomac Boat Club
* Ritz-Carlton
* Suter's Tavern
* The Tombs
* Washington Canoe Club
* Washington Harbour

* Northwest, Washington, D.C.
* Category

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Streets and highways of Washington, D.C.

Numbered streets|

* 7th Street
* 14th Street
* 16th Street NW
* 18th Street NW

Lettered streets|

* F Street
* H Street
* K Street
* M Street
* P Street
* U Street

State-named
roadways|

* Connecticut
* Florida
* Georgia
* Maine
* Massachusetts
* Missouri
* New Hampshire
* New York
* Ohio
* Pennsylvania
* Rhode Island
* Virginia
* West Virginia
* Wisconsin

Border avenues
and streets|

* Capitol Streets
* North
* East
* South
* Border Avenues
* Western
* Eastern
* Southern
* National Mall
* Constitution
* Independence
* President's Park
* Jackson
* Madison
* East Executive
* West Executive

Other streets|

* Benning Road
* Black Lives Matter Plaza
* Columbia Road
* Embassy Row
* Klingle Road
* MacArthur Boulevard
* Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue

Circles|

* Anna J. Cooper
* Banneker
* Barney
* Chevy Chase
* Columbus
* Dave Thomas
* Dupont
* Grant
* Logan
* Observatory
* Peace
* Scott
* Sheridan
* Sherman
* Tenley
* Thomas
* Truxton
* Ward
* Washington

Squares|

* Farragut
* Franklin
* Freedom
* Lafayette
* Lincoln
* McPherson
* Mount Vernon
* Seward
* Stanton
* Union

Parkways|

* Clara Barton
* George Washington Memorial
* Oxon Run
* Rock Creek and Potomac
* Suitland

Expressways|

* 9th Street
* 12th Street
* Anacostia
* Center Leg
* E Street
* Kenilworth Avenue
* Potomac River
* Southeast
* Southwest

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* FAST

National|

* United States
* Israel

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