On a Friday evening in late September, more than 20 concrete trucks pulled in and out of the 1500 block of Connecticut Avenue overnight. A pump truck lifted the concrete, and a long yellow Bidwell machine moved back and forth to smooth it across the new spans above the underpass. That was the second of three pours. As of DDOT's October 7 construction update, the last one had no confirmed date but was expected within about ten days.
When it's finished, the deck is meant to hold the same things Dupont Circle already hosts every weekend: a farmers market, live music and open-air performances. This October, all of those are running within a few hundred feet of the work zone. The fall calendar already shows what the plaza will be used for.
Where the deck stands this week
The deckover has five spans. Spans 1 and 3 were poured on the night of September 18. Spans 2 and 4 followed in the next pour, which DDOT reported complete on October 1. Span 5 is still to come. Getting here took most of a year. In July, DDOT reported that all 49 girders were in place ahead of schedule and that the project had passed its halfway point.
Finishing the pours does not open the plaza. DDOT lists the next steps in order. Pavers go down on top of the concrete, and then crews build the service lane and sidewalk in the 1500 block, inside the deckover and new plaza area. In August the agency warned there were still "months and months of work" in the deckover area after the pours, including stormwater and electrical lines along the service roads. On September 17, DDOT said the full project was on schedule for early summer 2027, subject to weather and unforeseen circumstances.
The busiest street-level work right now is just north of the deck. DDOT's October 7 note describes infrastructure tie-ins at Q Street and Connecticut, plus new traffic signals, streetlights and stormwater upgrades on the northbound side of the 1600 block. The same update reminds pedestrians that detour signs are posted at eye level.
What the plaza is being built to hold
DDOT describes the deckover as a multi-use public plaza between the circle and Q Street, built for everyday use and for events. Its examples include a farmers market, outdoor movies, music, plays and cultural events. Cars will keep using the underpass below, and a pedestrian-only crossing on the deck will link the east and west sides of Connecticut Avenue. The space will stay public. In 2025 The Wash reported that the Dupont Circle BID will partner with the city on programming and upkeep.
The plaza's look is less settled in public sources. In June 2025, Washingtonian's description of the DDOT rendering showed an open, curbless surface with warning pavers and precast barriers along the service roads. That rendering showed no permanent landscaping on the plaza itself. The design may have changed since then. The planters DDOT has mentioned more recently belong to the 1600-block sidewalk work, not to the deck.
So DDOT has said what the plaza is for but has not said much about how it will look. The best preview of its use is what is happening around it this month.
The October calendar, a block from the deck
All of these are within a short walk of the work zone. The FRESHFARM market's own block is one DDOT has been watching closely.
| When | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Sundays, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. | FRESHFARM Dupont Circle market, open year-round | 20th Street NW between Massachusetts and Connecticut Avenues |
| Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Dupont Little Flea | 1901 Q St NW |
| Saturdays, noon to 3 p.m. | Music in the Circle, fall series | Dupont Circle Park |
| Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 to 3 p.m. | Opera Outside, free | Dupont Circle Park |
| Oct. 8 to 25 | Woody Sez | Dupont Underground, 19 Dupont Circle NW |
The Music in the Circle lineup lists Tavair Dominque on October 10, Different Answers on October 17, Sadia on October 24, and a Halloween and bluegrass afternoon on October 31. At the Sunday market on October 11, Chris' Marketplace is scheduled to sample and sell Blue Catfish, an invasive Chesapeake species. The offering includes prepared Blue Catfish Cake sandwiches and cakes ready to cook at home. Opera Outside starts at 1 p.m. that day, half an hour before the market closes, a short walk away in the park.
The market and the construction have been working around each other since summer. In July, DDOT said it was working with the Dupont Circle Farmers Market to keep impacts on the Sunday footprint small. It also reopened the service lane between 20th and Q Streets on weekends during work there. Those notes describe the summer setup. The current arrangement could change as work moves.
Dupont Underground's October page lists gallery hours of Fridays 4 to 7 p.m. and weekends 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with changes during the run of Woody Sez. The venue is open only for exhibitions and events, so check its site before going.
The storefronts on the edge of the work
DDOT's updates keep repeating one point: every business along the corridor stays open during construction. On the northbound 1600 block, foot traffic now uses a protected walkway at the outer edge of the street, with ramps up to the shop doors. In mid-September, the project team, the Dupont Circle BID and Dupont Circle Main Street met with merchants from the east side of the 1500 and 1600 blocks as streetscape work started there.
These are the addresses on the blocks bordering the work, from the BID's dining and shopping directories:
- 1500 block: Starbucks at 1501, BIBIBOP Asian Grill at 1516, Kramers bookstore and All Day by Kramers at 1517, the AT&T Store at 1518, Panera Bread To-Go at 1528, and Connecticut Ave Wine & Liquor at 1529.
- 1600 block: Daily Provisions at 1601, Pure Green at 1603, Blue Mercury at 1625, Tea Mansion at 1627, Alero Mexican Cuisine and Gazuza Lounge at 1629, Comfort One Shoes at 1630, Larry's Ice Cream at 1633, Guild51 at 1636, and Sette Osteria at 1666.
The directories are undated, but DDOT's own 2026 updates name several of these businesses directly. In August the project log suggested Kramers for anyone looking for a good book. Its October 7 entry suggested starting holiday shopping at the businesses with construction around them.
There is a new opening on the same stretch tonight. Dupont Barber & Spa, at 1706 Connecticut Ave NW, has a grand opening listed by the BID for Thursday, October 8, from 5 to 8 p.m.
Two newer rooms a few blocks off the avenue
Two of the season's openings are on side streets, close enough to pair with a Saturday concert or a Sunday market trip.
La Merna, at 2153 P St NW, opened in August. Eater DC described a menu of Chicago tavern-style pizza and pasta with a late-night bar, open Thursday through Sunday at the time of its report.
First Round Bar & Social opened in September in the underground space at 1610 20th St NW, formerly the Childe Harold. Eater's September openings roundup lists trivia on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Wednesday karaoke starting in October. The bar is on the same block of 20th Street where the FRESHFARM market sets up on Sunday mornings.
After October
The next few months follow a known order. First comes the span 5 pour, then pavers, then the 1500-block service lane and sidewalk. DDOT has said landscaping on the finished southbound side will go in later this fall and in spring 2027. Up the avenue, a separate residential conversion called The Geneva is under construction in the 1800 block of Connecticut. DDOT notes that some of the detours there belong to that project, not the deckover.
The seasonal calendar continues nearby. The DC Holiday Market returns November 12 through December 23 on the 1500 block of New Hampshire Avenue NW, with more than 35 small businesses. The Sunday farmers market is scheduled every week through December 27. If DDOT's early summer 2027 target holds, next year's summer concerts could have a second stage across the street from the circle.
When long-term owners on these blocks think about how a finished plaza might shape the next chapter of their homes, The NTB Group offers a quiet, informed conversation about Dupont Circle in that light. Request a private consultation.
