Connecticut Avenue Line
| Company type | Transit service |
|---|---|
| Industry | Public transportation |
| Defunct | June 29, 2025 |
| Fate | Discontinued and replaced by Route D70 and others |
Area served | Northwest Washington, D.C. |
Key people | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) |
| Products | Bus transit service |
| Parent | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority |
The Connecticut Avenue Line, known as Route L2, was a daily transit service operating throughout the week in Northwest Washington, D.C.. This route linked prominent neighborhoods such as Foggy Bottom, Downtown, Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, Forest Hills, Wakefield, and Chevy Chase.
Route L2 absorbed the former Route L4, which had run concurrently with L1 and L2 until it ceased operations in 2012. The line ran between Farragut Square and Chevy Chase Circle via Connecticut Avenue, covering an inbound distance of roughly 5.4 miles. During peak weekday hours, buses arrived every 10 minutes, with longer intervals during midday periods, weekends, and late-night hours. Service was available daily from 5:05 AM until 2:00 AM.
In Fiscal Year 2024, Route L2 served a total of 1,369,486 riders, underscoring its significance within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority's (WMATA) Metrobus system. The route catered mainly to commuters traveling to major destinations and transit hubs including Farragut Square, Farragut West and North Metro stations, Woodley Park station, the National Zoo, Cleveland Park station, University of the District of Columbia (UDC), Van Ness-UDC station, and Chevy Chase Circle.
Operations for Route L2 were managed from WMATA’s Western garage and utilized SmarTrip card transfers exclusively. This service was officially discontinued on June 29, 2025.
Route description
The L1 commenced at the Potomac Park apartments located at 18th and C Streets. It proceeded along Constitution Avenue via 18th and 20th Streets before turning right onto 23rd Street. The route passed through Foggy Bottom and the George Washington University campus to Washington Circle. It briefly shifted onto New Hampshire Avenue prior to heading north on 20th Street to avoid Dupont Circle. Eventually, it reached Connecticut Avenue by way of Massachusetts and Florida Avenues.
Starting at Farragut Square—one block north of Connecticut Avenue’s southern end—the L2 traveled northbound along Connecticut Avenue. It passed beneath Dupont Circle via the Connecticut Avenue underpass before turning onto Florida Avenue and S Street. The route briefly detoured into Adams Morgan through Columbia Road, Calvert Street, and across the Duke Ellington Bridge. Continuing northward on Connecticut Avenue, L2 stopped at several Red Line Metro stations including Woodley Park, Cleveland Park, and Van Ness–UDC. It served neighborhoods like Woodley Park—home to the National Zoological Park—and Forest Hills—which provides access to the University of the District of Columbia’s Van Ness Campus.
The terminus for L2 was Chevy Chase Circle near the Maryland border, where passengers could transfer to the L8 (Connecticut Avenue–Maryland Line), which extends into Maryland serving areas such as Chevy Chase, Kensington, and Aspen Hill. Route L2 was operated from the Western division.
L2 stops
<section begin=l2dc-table/>
| Bus stop | Direction | Connections |
|---|---|---|
| Washington, D.C. | ||
| 17th Street NW / I Street NW Farragut Square |
Northbound stop, Southbound terminal |
Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 3Y, 11Y, 16Y, 32, 33, 36, 38B, 42, 43, 80, D6, G8, N2, N4, N6, X2 Template:Bus icon DC Circulator Georgetown – Union Station Template:Bus icon MTA Maryland Bus: 901, 902, 904, 905, 909, 950, 995 Template:Bus icon Loudoun County Transit Template:Bus icon PRTC OmniRide Template:Rint Washington Metro: Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon Template:WMATA icon (Farragut West) Template:WMATA icon (Farragut North) |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / L Street NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, N2, N4, N6 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / M Street NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, N2, N4, N6 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / N Street NW | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, N2, N4, N6 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / 18th Street NW | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, N2, N4, N6 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / R Street NW | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / S Street NW | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / Florida Avenue NW | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Connecticut Avenue NW / Leroy Place NW | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Columbia Road NW / California Street NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Columbia Road NW / 19th Street NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Columbia Road NW / Mintwood Place NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43 |
| Columbia Road NW / Biltmore Street NW | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, 90 (late night/early morning), 92 (late night/early morning), 96 |
| Adams Mill Road NW / Columbia Road NW | Northbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 42, 43, 90 (late night/early morning), 92 (late night/early morning), 96 Template:Bus icon DC Circulator Woodley Park – Adams Morgan – McPherson Square Metro |
| Calvert Street NW / Lanier Place NW | Southbound | Template:Bus icon Metrobus: 90 (late night/early morning), 92 (late night/early morning),96 Template:Bus icon DC Circulator Woodley Park – Adams Morgan – McPherson Square Metro |
| Calvert Street NW / Biltmore Street NW | Bidirectional | Template:Bus icon Metrobus:90 (late night/early morning),92 (late night/early morning),96 |
<section end=l2dc-table/>
History
Initially, the Connecticut Avenue corridor was covered by routes L1 through L9, which were later streamlined into two main lines: the Connecticut Avenue Line (comprising L1, L2, and L4) and the Connecticut Avenue–Maryland Line (including L7 and L8).
Prior to June 17, 2012, route L4 operated between Dupont Circle and Chevy Chase Circle, overlapping with routes L1 and L2. On that date, WMATA implemented a reorganization of the service: route L1 was rerouted along Virginia Avenue NW between 23rd and C Streets NW; route L2 began running directly on Connecticut Avenue from Chevy Chase Circle to Farragut Square, utilizing the Dupont Circle underpass except when diverting via Calvert Street and Columbia Road. Consequently, route L4 was discontinued due to redundancy with L1 and L2.
Starting December 18, 2016, late-night service on Fridays and Saturdays for route L2 was extended to reach both Friendship Heights station and Bethesda station in response to earlier Metrorail closures.
A WMATA study conducted in 2018 recommended merging all L1 trips into route L2 to streamline operations and enhance weekday frequency between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square. For weekends, it was proposed that every alternate L2 trip terminate at Woodley Park with adjusted service intervals. Another suggestion involved rerouting daily L1 service to end at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue NW, modifying the northbound path around Dupont Circle. These proposals were ultimately not adopted.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, route L1 was suspended beginning March 16, 2020. Route L2 operated on a reduced Saturday schedule initially, then shifted to Sunday schedules with weekend service suspended starting March 21. Modified timetables and weekend operations resumed on August 23, 2020; however, route L1 remained inactive and late-night service to Bethesda was still unavailable.
On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed the permanent elimination of route L1 due to insufficient federal funding; this route had been inactive since March 13, 2020. In February 2021, WMATA outlined plans to replace route L2 north of Calvert Street NW with modified H2 and H4 routes, while routes 42 and 43 would cover areas south of Columbia Road NW if federal support remained inadequate.
Service enhancements took effect on September 5, 2021: route L2 began operating every 20 minutes daily between 7:00 AM and 9:00 PM, fully assuming the service previously provided by route L1, which was subsequently removed from WMATA’s schedules.
Under the Better Bus Redesign initiative effective June 29, 2025, route L2 will be rebranded as D70 and rerouted to remain along Connecticut Avenue NW without serving Adams Morgan or traversing Duke Ellington Bridge. Coverage along Calvert Street will be transferred to Route C53 (formerly Route 92), while service on Columbia Road will be managed by Route D72 (formerly Routes 42 and 43).