Frequently asked questions about the Adams Morgan Pedestrian Zone

Can I carry my drink between bars?

Unfortunately no you can’t. The open container laws still are enforced.  You can purchase alcohol from businesses to consume at home but you can’t drink it in the street. Depending on the success of this pedestrian zone, we may try to acquire one of the commercial lifestyle licenses that recently were made available but that [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:18:20-04:00August 25th, 2022||Comments Off on Can I carry my drink between bars?

Why aren’t there bands playing? Why aren’t there vendors?

The AMPZ is similar to “Open Streets” road closures in other parts of the city in that the purpose is to open the streets to pedestrians, bicyclists, scooters, penny farthing, families with strollers, etc… While there is programming in the streets with free exercise classes, face painting for kids, dance workshops and jugglers it [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:10:35-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Why aren’t there bands playing? Why aren’t there vendors?

How are you dealing with food delivery?

We are keenly aware that food delivery has become a vital part of restaurants’ business models and to that end we have established three Pick-up/Drop-off locations (PUDOs) outside the AMPZ that are actively enforced by traffic control officers. These zones are exclusively for pick-up and delivery of food and passengers. Two zones are located [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:16:18-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on How are you dealing with food delivery?

I heard there are going to be retractable bollards, when’s that going to happen?

The grant we received for the Adams Morgan Pedestrian Zone was primarily (75%) designated for infrastructure improvements. We initially looked at installing retractable hydraulic bollards, but those proved impractical for a number of reasons. We are purchasing portable barriers that can be deployed at events not only in Adams Morgan, but throughout the city. [...]

By |2023-07-29T10:36:32-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on I heard there are going to be retractable bollards, when’s that going to happen?

Why are there so many police?

MPD based their deployment on their prior experiences with 18th Street being closed to traffic. Most of those were for Adams Morgan Day. We are hoping the rest of the pedestrian zones we are executing this year, coupled with the installation of permanent road closure devices, will demonstrate that much fewer officers and no [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:14:52-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Why are there so many police?

Why not close 18th St. all the way to Florida?

Closing 18th St. from Columbia Rd. to Florida Ave. was looked at back in the Spring of 2020 but was rejected for a number of reasons including the Marie Reed Elementary School and Recreation Center being in the middle of that zone and the larger proportion of residences to businesses. The Columbia to Kalorama [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:14:09-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Why not close 18th St. all the way to Florida?

Why only on Sundays? Why isn’t it closing for Adams Morgan Day? Why isn’t it on a consistent day (I.e. second Sunday of each month, etc.)

Our initial proposal was for 18th St. to be closed from Friday evening through Sunday night once a month from April through November. We are still hoping to do that going forward, but we are subject to MPD staffing constraints which have limited us to certain Sundays on which no other large events are [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:13:08-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Why only on Sundays? Why isn’t it closing for Adams Morgan Day? Why isn’t it on a consistent day (I.e. second Sunday of each month, etc.)

Why is the AMPZ finally happening this year?

In February of 2022, we were awarded a grant of $525,000 in federal ARPA infrastructure money, administered by the DC Office of Planning. Of that money, 75% was designated to pay for permanent infrastructure improvements and 25% for other costs.

By |2022-08-25T17:12:15-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Why is the AMPZ finally happening this year?

Where did the pedestrian zone idea come from?

Various people have been wanting to close 18th St. to traffic for years, either occasionally or permanently, but until June of 2020, it had only happened on Adams Morgan Day. When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in the Spring of 2020, various community organizations, individuals, ANC1C, and the Adams Morgan Partnership BID (AMPBID) proposed the [...]

By |2022-08-25T17:11:35-04:00August 23rd, 2022||Comments Off on Where did the pedestrian zone idea come from?