Dupont Circle business owners say the Connecticut Avenue deckover has turned their workdays into a drawn-out survival test, and they are now asking the city for $2 million in emergency rent help to make it through the construction period.
At a D.C. Council budget oversight hearing on Monday, Golden Age bar owner Jeff Coles told lawmakers that months of jackhammering and lane closures have gutted his business. He testified that “my revenue is down 42% since the start of construction; my guest count is down 61.6%.” As reported by WTOP, Coles said a jersey barrier more than 100 meters long now blocks rideshares from reaching his front door and is scheduled to stay in place until July.
FH Amsterdam convenience store owner Hamdu Abduselam told local TV that drivers can no longer park in front of his shop, customers often assume it is closed, and he has not been able to pay rent for months. As reported by DC News Now, Tatianna Pizza owner Abubkr Ali estimates he has lost roughly 60% of his business since the work began.
What the project does
The Connecticut Avenue Streetscape and Deckover project is designed to cover the underpass between Dupont Circle and Q Street NW with a new plaza, while also adding upgraded sidewalks, signals and protected bike lanes. The District Department of Transportation says the multi-phase effort started in September 2025 and is expected to run for roughly two years; service-lane closures and sidewalk work are already in place, according to DDOT. Reporting from Axios notes the work is a roughly $37–38 million effort intended to stitch the corridor back together and improve access for people walking and biking.
Grants and city options
Dupont Circle Business Improvement District executive director Bill McLeod called the project “all consuming” and told the council committee the group is asking the city for $2 million in rent grants so businesses can survive until construction eases. WTOP reports that McLeod said crews are sometimes working six days a week. DC News Now reported that the BID distributed about $1 million in relief last year but now considers that amount insufficient given the extended disruption.
City agencies have previously launched targeted construction-impact programs that supporters say could serve as a template for quick aid here. One recent example is detailed by the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development at DMPED, which outlines a grant program tailored to businesses affected by major work on Capitol Hill.
How the council will decide
The Council’s Committee on Transportation and the Environment heard the Dupont testimony and will consider the BID’s $2 million request as part of its fiscal year 2027 budget oversight and District Department of Transportation funding decisions. Materials and video from the committee’s hearings are posted by the D.C. Council.
BID leaders say they want an expedited tool that would help cover short-term rent and utility costs while construction continues. They plan to keep gathering data on lost sales and declining foot traffic in order to press their case for targeted relief as the deckover work moves ahead.
