At different points, the Connecticut Avenue Line was al operated by the L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L7, L8, and L9. Eventually, the lines were converted into the
Connecticut Avenue Line as the L1, L2, and L4, and then the
Connecticut Avenue–Maryland Line as the L7 and L8. Until June 17, 2012, the Connecticut Avenue Line was also served by the L4. The route operated from
Dupont Circle to
Chevy Chase Circle via Connecticut Avenue, of which the whole route overlapped with the L1 and L2. On June 17, 2012, the line was restructured where the L1 would operate along Virginia Avenue NW, between 23rd and C streets NW. Route L2 would operate directly along Connecticut Avenue between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square, while using the underpass at Dupont Circle, except for a diversion via Calvert Street and Columbia Road. Route L4 would be discontinued and replaced by routes L1 and L2 as the route was a duplicate to both the routes. On December 18, 2016, route L2 late night trips on Fridays and Saturdays were extended to both
Friendship Heights station and
Bethesda station due to earlier closure of Metrorail. In 2018, WMATA released a study on the L1 and L2. Proposals sets goes as follows: • Convert all route L1 trips to route L2 in order to simplify service options and increase weekday frequency between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square • During weekends, terminate every other Route L2 trip at Woodley Park. Between Chevy Chase Circle to Woodley Park, buses would run every 20 minutes instead of every 30 minutes, BUT between Woodley Park and Farragut Square, buses would run every 60 minutes instead of every 30 minutes. • Have route L1 operate daily service terminate at 21st Street and Virginia Avenue NW instead of continuing south on 23rd Street and east on Constitution Avenue NW and northbound L1 trips be rerouted to operate along to go around Dupont Circle and north on Connecticut Ave NW instead of its current route via Massachusetts and Florida Avenues NW. However, none of the proposals went through. During the
COVID-19 pandemic, route L1 was suspended beginning on March 16, 2020 and route L2 operated on its Saturday supplemental schedule. However on March 18, 2020, further changes happened with route L2 operating on its Sunday schedule and weekend service being suspended beginning on March 21, 2020. A modified schedule and all weekend service resumed on August 23, 2020 but Route L1 remained suspended and late night service to Bethesda station remained suspended. On September 26, 2020, WMATA proposed to eliminate all route L1 service due to low federal funding. Route L1 has not operated since March 13, 2020 due to Metro's response to the
COVID-19 pandemic. In February 2021, WMATA proposed to eliminate the L2 and replace it with a modified
H2 and H4 which would run along Connecticut Avenue north of Calvert Street NW and Routes 42 and 43 south of Columbia Road NW to replace the L2 if WMATA does not get any federal funding. On September 5, 2021, Route L2 service was increased to operate every 20 minutes daily between 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM. This essentially replaced all Route L1 service as WMATA no longer lists the L1 on the WMATA website.
Better Bus Redesign In 2022, WMATA launched its Better Bus Redesign project, which aimed to redesign the entire Metrobus Network and is the first full redesign of the agency's bus network in its history. In April 2023, WMATA launched its Draft Visionary Network. As part of the drafts, WMATA proposed to have the L2 still operate between Chevy Chase Circle and Farragut Square, but the route would remain along Connecticut Avenue NW, not serving the Adams Morgan neighborhood. The route would also be extended north to
Bethesda station via Connecticut Avenue and East-West Highway, a similar pattern the L2 had prior to March 2020. The line was named Route DC102 in the drafts. Service inside Adams Morgan via 24th Street, Calvert Street, and Columbia Road would be operated by proposed Routes DC104 (along Columbia Road), and DC213 (along Calvert Street). During WMATA's Revised Draft Visionary Network, WMATA renamed the DC102 to Route D70, keeping the same routing. Service between Connecticut Avenue and Adams Morgan was to be replaced by proposed routes C51, C53, C55, and C57, having to transfer at
Woodley Park station. However prior to the proposals, the D70 was cutback to Chevy Chase Circle with the extension to Bethesda station being shelved. All changes were then proposed during WMATA's 2025 Proposed Network. On November 21, 2024, WMATA approved its Better Bus Redesign Network. Beginning on June 29, 2025, the L2 was changed to remain straight on Connecticut Avenue NW and no longer serve Adams Morgan or Duke Ellington Bridge, and it was renamed into the D70, partially reincarnating the former L1. Service along Calvert Street was covered by Route C51 (former
Route 96), C53 (former
Route 92) and service on Columbia Road was covered by Route D72 (former
Routes 42 and 43). ==Notes==