K STREET (WASHINGTON, D.C.)

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'K Street' is a major thoroughfare in the United States capital of Washington, D.C. known for the numerous think tanks, lobbyists, and advocacy groups that exercise influence from this location.

Contents

Location

Traffic configuration

Current

Proposed

Lobbying

K Street in the media

References

External links

Location

In alignment with its Cartesian-coordinate-based street system, there are two noncontiguous roadways designated as K Street within the city. The term "K Street" (without qualification) almost always refers to the northern K Street.
The northern K Street, which carries a segment of U.S. Route 29, begins in the city's Northwest quadrant as K St. N.W., just west of the abutment of the old Aqueduct Bridge in the Georgetown neighborhood. The road crosses Rock Creek and continues through downtown D.C. After its intersection with North Capitol Street, the street's designation changes to K Street N.E. as it enters the Northeast quadrant. The street ends at Florida Avenue in the Near Northeast neighborhood, just south of Gallaudet University.
The Georgetown section was known as Water Street prior to the Georgetown street renaming of 1895. West of 33rd Street, the United States Postal Service still recognizes both "K Street" and "Water Street" in addresses.
The southern K Street runs between the Potomac and Anacostia rivers, crossing the Southwest and Southeast quadrants (as K Street S.W. and K Street S.E., respectively).

Traffic configuration

Current

K Street provides a major east-west thoroughfare for traffic through Washington, primarily from Mount Vernon Square to the Whitehurst Freeway. The street continues through Georgetown under the Whitehurst Freeway, however most westbound traffic exits to the freeway. A portion of the street travels in a tunnel underneath Washington Circle, allowing through traffic to avoid the circle. Portions of the street are divided into both "local" (or service) lanes and "express" lanes in both directions.

Proposed

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has been studying the conversion of K Street into part of a proposed busway. The route would begin at Georgetown University cross downtown Washington on K Street, switch to Massachusetts Avenue at Mount Vernon Square, and end at Union Station. Currently, the DC Circulator provides service along most of the proposed route, although it must share right of way with other vehicles.

Lobbying

"K Street" is a common metonym for Washington's lobbying industry. Many of the major Washington lobbying firms are located on the section which passes from Georgetown through a portion of Downtown D.C. This part of the street is sometimes referred to as the fourth branch of government. Lobbying firms are thought to have great influence in U.S. national politics due to monetary resources and the revolving door policy of hiring former government officials. K Street firms often hire ex-politicians from both major parties since the party in power can vary between elections and among the legislative and executive branches in government.
The K Street Project, according to former ''Washington Monthly'' editor Nicholas Confessore, is an attempt to build a new Republican political machine "built upon patronage, contracts and one-party rule ... among Washington's thousands of trade associations and corporate offices, their tens of thousands of employees and the hundreds of millions of dollars in political money at their disposal."^[1]
The theory behind the project, Confessore wrote, boils down to this: "As Republicans control more and more K Street jobs, they will reap more and more K Street money, which will help them win larger and larger majorities on the Hill."
The Jack Abramoff Indian lobbying scandal, which contributed to the slippage of Republicans into minority status in both houses of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, has called the future of the K Street Project into question.

K Street in the media

The Associated Press Washington Bureau and the AP Broadcast News Center are situated on K Street. The street also inspired a television series on the HBO network by the same name, ''K Street''.

References

1. Welcome to the Machine Nick Confessore

External links

★ K Street Busway project leaflet (.pdf format)

★ "The Road to Riches Is Called K Street"