Students from the GMU School of Public Policy released a report on “Access and Circulation on the National Mall.” It contains this graphic, showing the locations of jobs (as of 2002, hence the low numbers of jobs in areas like NoMA and the missing NY Ave station) and Metro stations.

I’ve drawn in the blue circles showing potential locations for new Blue Line stations. Running the line on M Street would capture some of the major job locations that are more than ¼ mile from a station, such as in the West End (and there are more there now than 2002), south of Thomas Circle, and around New Jersey Ave west of Union Station (another place with enormous growth since 2002).

The main cluster of jobs still inaccessible by Metro is around the State Department. The map also shows starkly how inaccessible most of the Mall is from Metro, a consequence of the commuter focus in its original design.

Continue the conversation about urbanism in the Washington region and support GGWash’s news and advocacy when you join the GGWash Neighborhood!

Tagged: blue line, dc, downtown dc, jobs, maps, technology, transit, wmata

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.