Mayor Bowser Inaugurates $73M DC Infrastructure Academy at Spingarn as District Advances RFK Transit Master Plan

Historic Spingarn Campus Reopens as Premier Regional Infrastructure Training Hub

WASHINGTON, District of Columbia — Marking a transformative civic milestone in Northeast D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser, District agency leaders, and community elders gathered in Ward 5 to cut the ribbon on the permanent $73 million DC Infrastructure Academy (DCIA) campus at the historic former Spingarn High School. Located along Benning Road NE adjacent to the Anacostia corridor, the landmark facility converts a cherished mid-century public school into a state-of-the-art vocational academy.

The expanded facility provides District residents with tuition-free, accredited apprenticeships across essential trade disciplines, including high-voltage electrical grid repair, commercial CDL driving, green stormwater management, and electric vehicle (EV) fleet servicing. Municipal workforce officials projected the center will train upwards of 1,200 local workers annually, directly channeling Ward 7 and Ward 8 residents into high-wage municipal and union utility jobs.

D.C. Planners Embed WMATA Gold Line BRT into 180-Acre RFK Campus Blueprint

Simultaneously, the D.C. Office of Planning and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) issued revised design integration frameworks for the 180-acre RFK Stadium Campus Master Plan. The refined urban blueprint explicitly coordinates with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to route the forthcoming Gold Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) directly through the central esplanade, ensuring seamless rapid bus access linking Capitol Hill, Kingman Park, and River Terrace.

The plan also details comprehensive capacity and accessibility expansions at the Stadium-Armory Metro station, including dual elevators, widened platform stairs, and weather-protected concourses designed to handle game-day crowds and daily transit commutes from planned residential housing.

Modernized Transit Amenities Upgrade Rider Comfort Across Corridors

Complementing major facility investments, DDOT and WMATA deployed the first wave of newly fabricated modular bus shelters and tactile passenger benches along high-ridership transit arteries in Anacostia and Petworth. Outgoing Mayor Bowser emphasized that coupling historic neighborhood preservation with cutting-edge workforce education and transit equity ensures the District builds an inclusive foundation for generations ahead.