Benning Road is heavily traveled street in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

 and Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County, Maryland

Prince George's County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland, immediately north, east, and south of Washington, DC. As of 2010, it has a population of 863,420 and is the wealthiest African-American majority county in the nation....

. The street runs from an intersection in the northeast quadrant of the city at Bladensburg Road, Florida Avenue, Maryland Avenue, H Street

H Street (Washington, D.C.)

H Street is an east-west street in Washington, D.C.. It is also used as an alternate name for the Near Northeast neighborhood, as H Street is the neighborhood's main commercial strip.-History:...

 and 15th Street, southeast over the Anacostia River

Anacostia River

The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...

 on the Benning Bridge

Benning Bridge

The Benning Bridge is a beam bridge carrying Benning Road over the Anacostia River and Kingman Island. It is a six-lane bridge with pedestrian lanes on both sides...

 into the neighborhood of Benning

Benning, Washington, D.C.

Benning is a residential neighborhood located in Northeast Washington, D.C. It is bounded by East Capitol Street to the south, Minnesota Avenue to the west, and Benning Road on the north and east...

. It continues southeast across East Capitol Street

East Capitol Street

East Capitol Street is a major street that divides the northeast and southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. It runs due east from the United States Capitol to the DC-Maryland border. The street is uninterrupted until Lincoln Park then continues eastward to Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium...

 into the southeast quadrant, crossing Southern Avenue

Southern Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Southern Avenue is one of three boundary streets between Washington, D.C., and the state of Maryland. Following a southeast-to-northeast line, Southern Avenue begins at the intersection of South Capitol Street, Southeast and Indian Head Highway on the Maryland side. It runs for approximately seven...

 and the D.C.-Maryland boundary into Maryland, ending at an intersection with Marlboro Pike (a former alignment of Maryland Route 4

Maryland Route 4

Maryland Route 4 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 5 in Leonardtown north to Southern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border, past which the highway continues as Pennsylvania Avenue...

).

In 2009, work commenced on a $38 million improvement project for the road which included adding street car

Tram

A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...

 tracks. In 2013, the first street car in Washington D.C. in over 50 years will begin operating on Benning Road.

A metro station

Benning Road (Washington Metro)

Benning Road is an island platformed Washington Metro station in the Benning neighborhood of Northeast Washington, D.C., United States. The station was opened on November 22, 1980, and is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority...

 was opened here in 1980 but this is not within easy walking distance of the local facilities as the neighborhood has a suburban style with access mainly by automobile

Automobile

An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...

.

History

In the late 18th century, "Captain" William Benning came from Virginia and purchased 330 acres (1.3 km²) in the area. Around 1830 (though not all sources agree on the date), he built the Benning Bridge

Benning Bridge

The Benning Bridge is a beam bridge carrying Benning Road over the Anacostia River and Kingman Island. It is a six-lane bridge with pedestrian lanes on both sides...

 as a toll bridge, one of the earliest crossings over the Anacostia River. "Benning's Road" appears on maps as far back as 1861, and with the bridge was an important eastern route in and out of the District. An 1886 USGS map shows Benning's Road ending at "Bowen Road", which was later named Marlboro Pike in Maryland (and routed as Maryland Route 4

Maryland Route 4

Maryland Route 4 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Maryland. The state highway runs from MD 5 in Leonardtown north to Southern Avenue at the Washington, D.C. border, past which the highway continues as Pennsylvania Avenue...

through about 1960).