Jun 2, 2025 - News

Out with Dave Thomas Circle, in with new $41M intersection

Cuneyt Dil

Mayor Muriel Bowser and city officials rub ribbon on new plaza — Mayor Muriel Bowser and officials cut ribbon on new Mamie "Peanut" Johnson Plaza. Photo: Courtesy of D.C. mayor's office

D.C. has removed Dave Thomas Circle, finishing work Monday on a $41 million redo for the Florida and New York avenues NE intersection.

Why it matters: The Wendy's at the intersection's messy center is long gone. Now it's called Mamie "Peanut" Johnson Plaza — named after the first woman pitcher in the Negro Leagues — and it has a simpler traffic pattern and three public parks.

State of play: The new intersection realigns and adds two-way traffic to First Street NE, restores two-way traffic on Florida Avenue NE and includes protected bicycle lanes.

There are also new pedestrian enhancements, traffic calming and additional bus platforms.
The new green spaces are in front of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives building, the site of the former Wendy's, and in front of the People's Building.

Catch up quick: The bottleneck near NoMa and Union Market serves crosstown commuters and people traveling to Gallaudet University or the area's growing business and residential districts.

Endearingly nicknamed after the Wendy's chain founder, a community contest renamed the circle after Johnson, a longtime Northeast resident who died in 2017.
Mayor Muriel Bowser swung a sledgehammer to begin construction in July 2023.

"We heard the frustration from commuters," Bowser said at the plaza's completion Monday. "It ranked top 10 for crashes."

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Out with Dave Thomas Circle, in with new $41M intersection

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