DDOT designed the new slab over the Connecticut Avenue underpass as an open, curbless floor to be booked for events, with seating and plantings around the edges of an open center. The organization that will help schedule it is already running markets and concerts a block away.
This fall's events around Dupont Circle are the best preview of the plaza. The holiday market on New Hampshire Avenue, the free Saturday concerts in the park and the farmers market DDOT has been working around are the kinds of uses the deck was built for.
A Floor Built for Tents
DDOT's project FAQ gives a direct answer to the shade question. DDOT worked with the Dupont Circle BID, "who will be programming the space along with other stakeholders," and came up with "a plan that is open, enabling for the programming of tents and activities that would happen there." The same FAQ says that seating, plantings and shade will come from different elements, including shade "during events."
The FAQ also covers who controls the space. DDOT owns the deck and handles maintenance, and anyone who wants to use it coordinates permits with DDOT and the Dupont Circle BID. That arrangement is different from the circle next door, which belongs to the federal government and the National Park Service.
DDOT's April 2025 design presentation shows the deck surface with these features:
- A curbless plaza with a central pedestrian crossing and warning pavers
- Ramps connecting to the service roads
- Precast boulders
- A proposed tree, raised planter, bench, bus shelter, bike racks and lighting
- Pressed-concrete sidewalk pavers, plus permeable pavers for stormwater
When Axios covered the plaza in June 2025, it named farmers markets and outdoor movies as possible uses. That same month, Washingtonian cited DDOT's website for a broader list that included music, plays and cultural events, and it reported that the rendering showed an open plaza with no plans for permanent landscaping at the time. DDOT's presentation and FAQ do mention a proposed tree, a raised planter and "different plantings," so the final amount of green on the deck is still an open question. Either way, the design puts open floor first.
There is one fixed feature. The round opening that was left uncovered during the last pour is a 50-foot-diameter tunnel ventilation vent, enclosed by a concrete barrier and a mounted rail. DDOT's construction blog calls it "a necessary part of the final design." Whoever books the space will have to plan events around it.
The total project cost is $37.8 million, per Axios and Washingtonian, and Washingtonian reported that about one-quarter came from the Federal Highway Trust Fund. Construction began in June 2025. Washingtonian traced the first deckover proposal back to the 1960s.
Where the Work Stands This Week
The concrete went in through a series of overnight pours that began in late September, each with more than 20 trucks moving in and out. DDOT reported the fifth and final span finished on the evening of Friday, Oct. 9. The work is now on the edges of the deck, and DDOT's weekly construction blog posts updates every Wednesday.
| Location | Latest status | Per DDOT or BID |
|---|---|---|
| Deck surface | All five spans poured; pavers go on top of the concrete next | Oct. 1 and Oct. 14 updates |
| 1500 block, west side | Service lane and sidewalk work underway | Oct. 21 update |
| 1600 block, northbound side | Crews moving toward R Street; new signals and sidewalks at that intersection | Oct. 21 update |
| 1600 block northbound service road | Closed starting Sept. 8 for an estimated eight weeks, with a protected pedestrian walkway and ramps to businesses | BID notice |
| Southbound side, California to Q | Streetscape nearly complete; landscaping this fall and in spring 2027 | Aug. 19 and Sept. 4 updates |
| Bike lanes | Reopen at the end of the project, not in segments | DDOT FAQ |
| Whole project | On schedule for early summer 2027, weather permitting | Sept. 17 update |
The BID's eight-week figure for the service road closure was an estimate made in September. Counted from Sept. 8, it lands around early November. DDOT's Oct. 14 update said work in that phase would continue "for another four to five weeks," so the project blog is the place to check before assuming the block has reopened. The BID notice also says passenger pickup and drop-off is not allowed within that block during the closure. Rideshare and food delivery drivers use adjacent streets and walk in.
DDOT also notes that some of the detours farther north belong to a separate project. The Geneva, at 1825–1875 Connecticut Avenue, is under construction in the 1800 block. The Mayor's office announced the groundbreaking on Jan. 22, 2026. The conversion will turn the 604,000-square-foot property into a 15-story building with 532 homes, including 60 permanently affordable units, along with 57,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.
The Calendar That Previews the Plaza
The deck won't be ready until early summer 2027, but the BID is already running events within a few blocks of it. The DC Holiday Market is the clearest example. Diverse Markets Management produces it with the BID on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW, two blocks from the Dupont Circle Metro station, with a curated lineup of small vendors. A seasonal market of small vendors is the kind of event DDOT's open plan is built to hold.
Here is what's coming up through the end of the year:
- Nov. 7, noon to 3 p.m.: Too Much Talent plays a free show in Dupont Circle Park as part of the BID's fall Music in the Circle series.
- Nov. 12 through Dec. 23: The DC Holiday Market is back for its third year. It opens on a Thursday this year to start the season early and runs through six weekends, with art, jewelry, ceramics, vintage pieces and handcrafts.
- Nov. 14, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.: The Phillips Plays, a drop-in family program at the Phillips Collection.
- Nov. 19, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.: An Alchemy Ballet performance tied to the Phillips' new exhibition.
- Dec. 3 through Dec. 6: The Heurich House Museum's Christmas Markt in the Castle Garden, featuring local makers.
- Dec. 11, noon to 1 p.m.: A Living Room talk on conservation at the Phillips.
The Phillips also opened "Avery, Gottlieb & Rothko: By the Sea" on Oct. 24. It's a show of roughly 90 works about the artists' friendship, and it runs through Jan. 24, 2027. The museum's music calendar lists its November and December Sunday concerts as sold out, so the gallery is the easier way in this season.
The Sunday farmers market will also matter for the deck. DDOT's July 30 update says the project team met with the Dupont Circle Farmers Market to keep construction from cutting into the market's footprint. Axios listed farmers markets first among the uses planned for the plaza, so the market and the new deck may end up next to each other.
The Storefronts Holding the Edges
The businesses along the 1500 and 1600 blocks have stayed open through the construction. DDOT's own blog repeats in update after update that every business remains open and accessible. In May 2026, WJLA reported that the Dupont Circle BID said some businesses had seen foot traffic fall 50 to 60 percent. In the same story, a Daily Provisions employee at 1601 Connecticut described the difficulties for pickups, delivery drivers and commuters. DDOT's Oct. 7 update suggested that holiday shoppers start at the businesses surrounded by construction.
Kramers, at 1517 Connecticut on the 1500 block, sits right next to the deck. It opened as Kramerbooks on July 4, 1976, and according to WTOP, it was the District's first bookshop with a restaurant. WTOP also reported that Mayor Muriel Bowser issued a proclamation during the anniversary celebration declaring Oct. 22 "Kramer's Day" in D.C. The store held its 50th birthday party on Oct. 24, from 7 p.m. to midnight. DDOT congratulated Kramers on the milestone in its Oct. 21 update. Owner Steve Salis told WTOP the business sees itself "as a cultural hub." When the plaza opens, that hub will face a new public square on the other side of the service lane.
Across the avenue, Taïm closed its 1514 Connecticut location, the chain's only one in D.C., in July. Eater described any connection to the construction as speculation. Whatever business takes that address next will face a plaza built for markets and concerts.
The service lanes are what's left before the deck opens. After that, the pavers go on top of the concrete, followed by spring planting. The project blog is updated each Wednesday, and DDOT takes questions at [email protected].
Our family has watched Connecticut Avenue change for decades, and we're following this plaza closely as it gets finished. If you own near the deckover and want to know how the 1500 and 1600 blocks are changing around your home, Levin Group Real Estate can talk it through with you. Get in touch for a personalized consultation.
