DC municipal officials have launched a $3 million Mobility Innovation District (MID) project with a grant to the Southwest Business Improvement District (BID), as Mayor Muriel Bower says the city is proceeding with several other infrastructure projects, including in the Fiscal Year 2023 budget:
- $57 million to complete the K Street Transitway, providing protected bus and bike lanes through downtown
- $102 million over six years to continue a transformative plan to make bus transit faster and more reliable
- $15 million over six years to continue expanding Capital Bikeshare so that every resident has a station with a quarter-mile of their home
- $125 million over six years for new or rehabilitated trails to improve connectivity to the regional trail network
- $18.5 million for a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge to Kingman Island.
In addition to funding The MID through the BID Vibrant Places Fund, Mayor Bowser also provided $6 million in seed funding in Fiscal Year 2022 to two other districts focused on innovation and creativity: Penn West and Anacostia Arts and Culture District.
“Through the activation of our beautiful waterfront, we have brought more jobs, opportunities, retail, restaurants, and entertainment to Southwest DC. In turn, that means more people coming to and through the community,” Bowser said in an Oct. 20 sttement.. “By creating the Mobility Innovation District, we can reduce congestion, ensure more neighbors are benefiting from new opportunities, and build a greener, more sustainable DC.”
Drawing on Southwest’s unique assets – established neighborhoods, new large-scale mixed-used developments, regional attractions, and proximity to the National Mall – The MID will attract mobility companies that bring new technology to market and create jobs in DC. During today’s event, the Mayor announced that Circuit, a micro-transit company that has earned a reputation for all-electric, on-demand transportation solutions, has been selected to create a new mobility service for residents and visitors that will circle the Southwest neighborhood. The goal is to reduce congestion and its harmful effects on the environment and our quality of life.
Circuit will help connect some of the city’s leading attractions and top dining destinations with fixed transit options and economic opportunities. The on-demand service will be bound roughly by Independence Avenue to the north; 15th Street SW and waterfront to the west; Q Street SW to the south; and South Capitol Street to the east – with the extension into Capitol Riverfront/near SE service area from M to New Jersey Ave SE to I Street SW.
The Southwest BID also announced new Requests for Proposals for projects focused on Universal Basic Mobility (UBM) and electrification. The UBM pilot will provide residents with a transportation stipend that they can use on a wide range of public and privately operated transportation options.
The city statement says the project will provide insight into what future modes of transportation are needed to serve residents who currently face a barrier to employment due to lack of transportation. “The electrification project will aim to deliver electric vehicle charging infrastructure in public places where it does not currently exist, with the goal of advancing the adoption of electric vehicles and micro-mobility modes like electric scooters and bicycles,” the statement says.
