The surface road layout in Washington, D.C., consists primarily of numbered streets along the north–south axis and lettered streets (followed by streets named in alphabetical order) along the east–west axis. Avenues named for each of the 50 U.S. states crisscross this grid diagonally, and where the avenues intersect, traffic circles often occur. Many circles are named for American Civil War generals and admirals, while several neighborhoods take their names from nearby circles. There are approximately 36 roundabouts currently in the District.
Chevy Chase Circle – intersection of Western and Connecticut Avenues, Chevy Chase and Magnolia Parkways, and Grafton Street; circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Chevy Chase, Maryland
Grant Circle – intersection of New Hampshire and Illinois Avenues and Varnum and 5th Streets
Juárez Circle – intersection of New Hampshire and Virginia Avenues, 25th St, and Interstate 66, with an underpass for Interstate 66; Virginia Avenue cuts through the center of the circle
Kalorama Circle – intersection of 24th Street, Belmont, and Kalorama Roads
Pinehurst Circle – intersection of Western and Utah Avenues and 33rd and Worthington Streets; this forms a semicircle along the border with Maryland
Plymouth Circle – intersection of Plymouth Street and Parkside Lane
Scott Circle – intersection of Rhode Island and Massachusetts Avenues and 16th Street, with an underpass for 16th Street
Sheridan Circle – intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and R and 23rd Streets
Sherman Circle – intersection of Kansas and Illinois avenues and Crittenden and 7th Streets
Tenley Circle – intersection of Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues, Fort Drive, and Yuma Street
Thomas Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and Vermont Avenues and 14th and M Streets, with an underpass for Massachusetts Avenue
Thompson Circle – near the intersection of 31st Street and Woodland Drive
Ward Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues
Washington Circle – intersection of New Hampshire and Pennsylvania Avenues and K and 23rd Streets, with a K Street underpass
Wesley Circle – intersection of Massachusetts and University Avenues and 46th and Tilden Streets
Westmoreland Circle – intersection of Western and Massachusetts Avenues, Butterworth Place, and Wetherill Road; this circle is only half within the District; the other half is in Maryland[citation needed]
Northeast
Columbus Circle – intersection of Delaware, Louisiana, and Massachusetts Avenues and E and First Streets; Union Station and its access roads interrupt this circle on one side, making it more of a semicircle. It is also known as Columbus Plaza. Prior to the construction of the Columbus Memorial at its center in 1912, it was called Union Station Plaza.
Dave Thomas Circle - triangular area bounded by Florida Avenue, New York Avenue and First Street Northeast. Though not part of the original city design, traffic patterns mimic other circles.
Truxton Circle – now defunct, existing only as the name of a neighborhood; formerly the intersection of Florida Avenue, North Capitol Street, Q Street NW, and Q Street NE; this circle lay on the border of Northwest and Northeast Washington. There are possible plans to rebuild the circle.[citation needed]
Unnamed circle at the intersection of New York Avenue, West Virginia Avenue, and Montana Avenue
Unnamed circle at the intersection of Brentwood Road, Bryant Street, and 13th Street
Bass Circle – cul-de-sac 575 feet (175 m) northwest of the intersection of 49th St SE and Bass Place.
Ellipse Circle - intersection of 14th St SE and Pennsylvania and Potomac Avenues.[1]
Maritime Circle – intersection of M St SE and 13th Street SE.
Randle Circle – intersection of Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Branch Avenues; K and 32nd Streets; and Fort DuPont Drive.
Stadium Circle - intersection of East Capitol St, 22nd St NE & SE, C St NE, Independence Ave around RFK Stadium and is divided between the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of the city.
Unnamed circle at the intersection of Third and G Streets
Squares
Washington, D.C. also has a number of squares that serve the same purpose as a traffic circle, but are not true roundabouts.
Lincoln Square - intersection of 11th Street NE and SE on the west, 12th Street NE and SE on the west, 13th Street NE and SE on the east, East Capitol Street, Massachusetts Avenue, North Carolina Avenue, and is divided between the Northeast and Southeast quadrants of the city.
Stanton Square - intersection of Maryland Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Northeast, Washington, D.C. It is bounded by 4th Street to the west and 6th Street to the east. North and south of the park are the respective westbound and eastbound lanes of C Street, NE.
