Ohio Drive (Washington, D.C.)

Ohio Drive is a street in Southwest Washington, DC, located in East and West Potomac Parks, straddling along the Tidal Basin, Washington Channel, and the Potomac River. Unlike most roads named after states in Washington, Ohio Drive is not an avenue, nor it is heavily used like Wisconsin or Rhode Island Avenues. However, the segment from Independence Avenue to the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway is an important commuter route.

Ohio Drive starts at the Lincoln Memorial and continues south on the west side of West Potomac Park. It crosses a small channel connecting the Potomac River to the Tidal Basin, and crawls under the 14th Street Bridge and the Washington Metro Yellow Line span. The Jefferson Memorial can be seen here.

The street continues along the west side of East Potomac Park all the way almost to the southern point of the island, in which the street does an about-face, and continues up the eastern side.

On the eastern side, Ohio Drive continues onward, passing under lower 14th Street and CSX railroad tracks. (See RF&P Subdivision.) It ends at East Basin Drive, where that street in turn, connects to Maine Avenue.

Ohio Avenue in 1851

In the 19th century, an Ohio Avenue did exist just south of and parallel to Pennsylvania Avenue. The street ran only a few blocks. The avenue was obliterated in the early 20th century by the Federal Triangle complex proposed by the 1902 Senate Park Commission Plan. The Ronald Reagan Building, the United States Department of Commerce and the Internal Revenue Service currently sit on the path of the old Ohio Avenue.

Coordinates: 38°52′45.5″N 77°1′49.3″W / 38.879306°N 77.030361°W / 38.879306; -77.030361