Source: maps.live.com

L’Enfant’s plan for Washington included a hierarchy of orthogonal streets. While he aligned numbered and lettered streets on the cardinal axes, he diagonally overlaid the more important grand avenues. At major intersections of these grand avenues, he plotted public spaces which were later drawn as circles by surveyor Andrew Ellicott.

Meridian Hill Park is perched on the edge of the escarpment that separates the original L’Enfant Plan from the rest of NW DC. At the southeast corner of the park lies an odd intersection convening 15th and W Streets with New Hampshire and Florida Avenues (see satellite photo above). Since everything in the northwest portion of this intersection—Meridian Hill Park and the block between 15th Street and Florida Avenue—was not a part of the L’Enfant plan, one can safely assume the Frenchman had not intended to terminate New Hampshire Avenue there with a grand public space. The intersection consequently is a sea of asphalt confusing drivers and intimidating pedestrians (see image below).

L'Enfant and Ellicott struck straight lines. Meridian Hill Park and the block to its east are just outside the L'Enfant Plan and did not fare so well. Image source: DC Atlas

The public street space between the private property lines affords the city plenty of space to redesign the intersection.  I have drawn a plan that includes traditional Washington elements (a circular public space) along with more modern innovations (bulb-outs and raised crosswalks) to transform the intersection into a safer and more inviting public space (see image below).  After drawing this plan I learned that the District is planning to construct a circle here eventually as part of a plan to improve 15th Street. Their draft study does not yet include any plan for the circle, nor any cost estimates, so though my idea is not unique, it cannot be accused of reinventing the wheel (or rotary, for that matter).

This plan benefits drivers, pedestrians, and residents, while improving safety and the environment. The design contains five features that benefit the community:

1. Increased public green space— This plan reclaims unnecessary street asphalt for public greenspace and sidewalks. Replacing asphalt with grass allows the ground to absorb more rainwater and thus reduces the burden placed on the cities sewers, which currently receive a high amount of street runoff during storms. Reducing the amount of surface covered by dark asphalt also reduces the amount of heat the city absorbs during the summer. The increased greenspace creates new opportunities to plant trees which clean the air, provide shade, and increase the pleasantness of a place.
2. Creation of a new public place identity— L’Enfant had originally intended for such intersections to serve as the center of neighborhoods. He had suggested giving properties lining today’s circles to the various states, which he predicted would spruce up their respective circles in order to compete with each another for prestige. Though the city never carried through with L’Enfant’s plan for allocating properties to states, the existing circles and squares, particularly Logan and Dupont Circles, have come to identify their entire neighborhoods. Creating a new circle park provides the neighborhood a similar opportunity.  Furthermore, the circle above is aligned with the New Hampshire Avenue axis, formally terminating the avenue that begins all the way at the Kennedy Center.
3. Elimination of a confusing traffic pattern— Washingtonians have long since become accustomed to navigating traffic circles. This plan is a sharp improvement over the current intersection, which relies on countless traffic lights, some of which are located on tiny island in the middle of the intersection. The number of traffic signs the city has posted is evidence of the current intersection’s confusing design.  Though most of Washington’s circles and squares have been appropriated to honor Civil War heroes both famous (Grant) and unknown (Farragut), this circle could honor a more recent worthy city resident.  Naming the circle and erecting a statue can be delayed to a later date following a public nomination process.  Many of the city’s original squares and circles remained unadorned for decades.
4. Enhanced pedestrian safety— Some circles intimidate pedestrians because of their shape and because of the flowing traffic. The raised crosswalks at the circle’s entrances and exits will physically highlight the crossing of pedestrians, who, lest we forget, maintain the right-of-way. The raised crosswalks will also slow drivers who may otherwise speed in and out of the circle. No matter what one says about the pedestrian compatibility of circles in general, a circle here is a vast improvement over the current intersection, which even features an unreasonably long east-west crosswalk that only the bravest residents use.  A closer observation of the plan would reveal the presence of bulb-outs, which extend the curb and sidewalk into the street at crosswalks, providing pedestrians with shorter distances of street to traverse and also increases their visibility to drivers.
5. Reduced speeds and additional parking— The plan also calls for a modification of 15th Street between V and W Streets. The current street, though technically two lanes, is wide enough to fit four cars traveling abreast. Traffic engineers know that the wider the travel lanes, the faster drivers tend to drive. By converting some of the unnecessary width of the left lane into angular parking, the new design will reduce speeding and provide more street parking for residents and churchgoers alike without eliminating any greenspace.

Update: A DDOT official emailed me to let me know that the agency has no plans for a circle at that location and that both the National Capital Planning Commission and the National Park Service, which is reposible for Meridian Hill Park, were not fond of the concept several years ago.