While wealthier areas of DC were spared highway construction in the 1960s, DC-295 and I-295 were built parallel the east bank of the Anacostia and Potomac Rivers, cutting East of the River neighborhoods off from one another and from the waterfront. This traffic-choked thruway creates air and noise pollution that affect the health of residents. 

Making matters worse, the DC Department of Transportation and Department of Public Works have shrugged off responsibility for the grassy median and shoulders and wooded areas that line the road. Their neglect has allowed hundreds of tires and thousands of pounds of litter pile up in areas designed as environmental buffer zones.

Calls to 311 requesting clean-ups have been closed without action.  The land has fallen between the cracks, with no one taking responsibility.

DC Department of Transportation Director Everett Lott says trash along the road  is not the responsibility not of his agency, but of the District Department of Public Works (DPW). 

Emails about it to DPW Director Timothy Spriggs have gone unanswered, as have inquiries made by DC Council staff and the office of the City Administrator. 

Enough is enough. We, the undersigned DC residents, demand that DPW:

1. Carry out a thorough cleaning of  all District-owned land associated with 295 during the first half of 2024, using either its own staff or a contractor 

2. Establish a regular schedule for routine trash removal in these areas