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Wisconsin Avenue Line

From Alfawiki
Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Company typePublic transit authority
IndustryPublic transportation
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
,
United States
Area served
Washington, D.C. metropolitan area
ProductsBus services, Metro services
Websitewmata.com

The Wisconsin Avenue Line, identified as the Wisconsin Avenue–Union Station Line on Route D80 and the Wisconsin Avenue-Foggy Bottom Line on Route D82, is operated by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. This service caters to the upper Northwest Washington corridor along Wisconsin Avenue NW.

Routes D80 and D82 provide transit between the Friendship Heights station on the Washington Metro's Red Line and either Washington Union Station (served by D80) or West Potomac Park (served by D82). On weekdays, buses run every 10 to 12 minutes between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Route D80 additionally offers weekend service, maintaining approximately 10-minute intervals during the day and 15 to 20-minute intervals in the evening. Typical travel times are about 60 minutes for Route D80 and roughly 45 minutes for Route D82.

Both routes are dispatched from WMATA's Montgomery and Western bus garages.

Route D80 stops

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Route D82 stops

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History

Prior to WMATA's Better Bus Redesign initiative, what is now Route D80 was known as Route 33, and Route D82 was formerly Route 31. The 30 series represents one of Washington, D.C.’s longest-standing transit corridors, tracing its origins back to streetcar operations managed by the Capital Traction Company and the Washington and Georgetown Railroad during the 1860s. Bus operations commenced in 1936. By 2008, this corridor accommodated more than 20,000 passengers daily, ranking it among the most heavily utilized routes in the city.

The five distinct routes—30, 32, 34, 35, and 36—commence at Friendship Heights station and conclude at different termini: Route 30 ends at Potomac Avenue station, Route 32 at Southern Avenue station, and Routes 34, 35, and 36 at Naylor Road station.

In 2008, WMATA undertook a comprehensive study aimed at enhancing the Pennsylvania Avenue line’s operational efficiency by addressing issues such as delays and bus congestion.

Route 31

Route 31 was introduced on June 29, 2008, as part of a reconfiguration of the Pennsylvania Avenue Line designed to serve as a "neighborhood connector." It links Friendship Heights station with Potomac Park, providing additional support along Wisconsin Avenue for Routes 32 and 36 while replacing services previously covered by Routes 30, 34, and 35.

Route 33

Debuting on August 24, 2014, Route 33 emerged from a 2013 proposal aimed at simplifying the Wisconsin Avenue Line. This route replaced portions of Routes 32 and 36 along Wisconsin Avenue and supplemented both Route 31 and the newly introduced Friendship Heights–Southeast Line (Routes 30N and 30S). Route 33 improved connectivity between Friendship Heights station and Federal Triangle, compensating for the shortened terminations of Routes 32 and 36 now ending at Potomac Park.

Changes

In the course of WMATA's Blue/Orange/Silver Line Corridor Capacity & Reliability Study (BOS Study) conducted in 2019, one of six proposed options involved rerouting the Metrorail Blue Line along Wisconsin Avenue with a terminal point at either Friendship Heights or Bethesda station after crossing the Potomac River from Rosslyn. This concept was ultimately not selected among WMATA’s four finalists in the year 2023.

During the COVID-19 pandemic response, starting March 16, 2020, Routes 31 and 33 operated on a Saturday supplemental schedule during weekdays before further reducing service to a Sunday schedule on March 18. Weekend operations were suspended on March 21 and replaced by Routes 30N and 30S. Regular scheduling for Routes 31 and 33 resumed on August 23, although weekend service for Route 31 remained suspended with Route 33 providing substitute service.

On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed eliminating all weekend trips on Route 31 while increasing frequency on Route 33 due to diminished federal funding amid the pandemic; weekday service levels were maintained.

By September 5, 2021, service frequency improved to every twelve minutes daily; nonetheless, all weekend service for Route 31 was discontinued and replaced by expanded operation of Route 33.

Amid rising cases of the Omicron variant, Route 33 reverted to Saturday schedules on weekdays while Route 31 service was suspended temporarily. Full weekday service resumed on February 7, 2022.

Beginning May 29, 2022, late-night trips on Route 33 were extended to terminate at L'Enfant Plaza via a routing through 7th Street.

Effective December 15, 2024, Route 31 will operate exclusively during weekday peak periods. Concurrently, Route 33 will be rerouted to serve Washington Union Station via H Street/I Street and Massachusetts Avenue at all times following the discontinuation of DC Circulator services on January 1, 2025. This change will eliminate previous stops serving Federal Triangle and L'Enfant Plaza.

Better Bus Redesign

In 2022, WMATA launched the Better Bus Redesign initiative, marking the first extensive revamp of its Metrobus Network.

By April 2023, WMATA introduced a Draft Visionary Network that suggested combining routes 31 and 33 into a single line designated as Route DC101. This route would operate between Friendship Heights station and Federal Triangle, following the existing 33 path, with an extension reaching Bethesda station via Wisconsin Avenue.

The Revised Draft Visionary Network later changed the name DC101 to Route D82 and adjusted its path to connect Friendship Heights and Archives stations through Pennsylvania Avenue NW and other downtown corridors. A supplementary Route D8X was proposed to run alongside D82 between Bethesda and Archives but was ultimately removed from the plan. In the 2025 Proposed Network, Route D82 was further revised to end service at McPherson Square station, traveling along H Street NW and K Street NW.

Further modifications led to renaming D82 as Route D80, extending service to Washington Union Station via New York Avenue NW and Massachusetts Avenue NW while discontinuing stops at Federal Triangle and L'Enfant Plaza. Meanwhile, Route 31 was reintroduced as Route D82, providing weekday peak service between Friendship Heights and Potomac Park. This change responded to DC Circulator's discontinuation of its Georgetown–Union Station route effective January 1, 2025. These adjustments received approval in October 2024 and were put into effect on December 15, 2024.

On November 21, 2024, WMATA confirmed the final Better Bus Redesign Network. Starting June 29, 2025, Routes 31 and 33 were officially redesignated as D82 (formerly 31) and D80 (formerly 33), retaining the routing established in December 2024.

Incidents

  • On June 3, 2022, a male passenger was stabbed aboard a 33 bus traveling along Wisconsin Avenue near Newark Street NW; he was hospitalized with serious injuries. The assailant escaped the scene.
  • On October 21, 2023, another stabbing occurred on a 33 bus at the intersection of 34th Street and Wisconsin Avenue; the attacker fled after inflicting multiple stab wounds on a male victim.

External links

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