Re: Why was Constitution Ave built?
Posted by:
Alexander Shepherd
()
Date: February 21, 2018 10:57PM
Constitution Ave began life as the Washington city canal. It allowed barges from the Eastern branch (Anacostia) to access the C&O canal in Georgetown. The canal was very shallow and severely affected by the Potomac tides. The District petitioned Congress for funds to deepen the canal but by this point canals had been killed by trains
By the late 1860s the canal was in effect an open sewer.
Constitution Ave which origanlly was B St NW was created by diverting Tiber Creek underground and paving over the canal. This was done as part of a public works initiative led by the Districts first and only governor, Alexander "Boss" Shepherd.