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42-735: The pair of single tracked tunnels is located under Virginia Avenue SE, from 12th Street SE to 2nd Street SE. The eastern portal connects to the Anacostia Railroad Bridge and the CSX Capital Subdivision . At the western end the RF&;P Sub runs to the Long Bridge into Virginia . CSX built the tunnels to replace a single tunnel constructed in 1870–1872 by the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad (B&P). That tunnel had deteriorated over

84-792: A Howard Johnson's hotel, served as the lookout point for the Watergate break-in in 1972), the Pan-American Health Organization , the Harry S. Truman Building ( Department of State headquarters), the Main Interior Building ( Department of the Interior headquarters), the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts , and West Potomac Park . The western terminus of Virginia Avenue NW

126-569: A Supreme Court case brought on behalf of the white supremacist National States' Rights Party . She put this victory into perspective in an interview with one of the District of Columbia Bar 's website editors: "I defended the First Amendment , and you seldom get to defend the First Amendment by defending people you like ... You don't know whether the First Amendment is alive and well until it

168-403: A public-private partnership as part of its National Gateway initiative, but in 2011, it announced that it would fund the tunnel project itself. In 2012, CSX and government agencies considered four design alternatives for a new tunnel, conducting public outreach meetings, and preparing an environmental impact assessment for each of the alternatives. A final decision on the selected alternative

210-422: A "TV promise" that he would be there should that happen. Norton made a further appearance on Colbert's show on June 25, 2014, where she discussed the impact that African-American Democrats had on incumbent Thad Cochran 's primary defeat of Chris McDaniel , a Tea Party candidate, as well as Colbert's final episode among a cadre of past guests. On June 27, 2008, Norton appeared on Democracy Now! to discuss

252-617: A Foremother Award for her lifetime of accomplishments from the National Research Center for Women & Families in 2011. Norton was elected in 1990 as a Democratic delegate to the House of Representatives. She defeated city council member Betty Ann Kane in the primary despite the last-minute revelation that Norton and her husband, both lawyers, had failed to file D.C. income tax returns between 1982 and 1989. The Nortons paid over $ 80,000 in back taxes and fines. Her campaign manager

294-633: A bill aimed at changing the National Football League 's tax-exempt status, stated: "The NFL greed is so widespread that they've chosen to operate as a tax-exempt organization. So we want to take that choice away from them unless, and until, they decide not to profit from a name that has now officially been declared a racial slur." In essence, Norton's position was that until the NFL forced the Washington Redskins owner ( Daniel Marc Snyder ) to change

336-399: A cut-and-cover method to maintain rail and road traffic during construction, neighbors were concerned because it would necessitate partial closures of Virginia Avenue for three years. Citing the 2013 Lac-Mégantic derailment , critics expressed concern about crude oil shipments through the city, but CSX assured that the tunnel improvements would not lead to more crude oil shipments. Opponents of

378-454: A member of Congress have I seen a colleague treated so contemptuously." In August 2014, after the D.C. Board of Elections voted to put a question about marijuana legalization on the ballot in November 2014, Norton vowed to defend against any congressional attempt to stop the district from voting on the issue and to, if approved, fight any attempt to prevent implementation. She is a member of

420-508: A voting representative in the House, the District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2009 , was passed by the United States Senate on February 26, 2009. However, the legislation stalled in the House and failed to pass prior to the end of the 111th Congress . The legislation proposed in 2009 did not grant Norton the right to vote in the 111th Congress, as she would have had to remain in her elected office of delegate for

462-538: Is a street in the Northwest , Southwest , and Southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. Like other state-named streets in Washington, it diagonally crosses the grid pattern formed by lettered (east-west) and numbered (north-south) streets. Many famous landmarks are adjacent to Virginia Avenue, including the Watergate complex , George Washington University 's former Hall on Virginia Avenue (which, even earlier branded as

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504-517: Is an American politician, lawyer, and human rights activist . Norton serves as a congressional delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives , where she has represented the District of Columbia since 1991 as a member of the Democratic Party . Prior to serving in Congress, Norton organized for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee during the civil rights movement . From 1977 to 1981, she

546-617: Is at the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway . Virginia Avenue provides access from the Parkway to Interstate 66 . The eastern terminus is at Constitution Avenue between 17th and 18th streets. Between those termini, there is a partial interchange with the E Street Expressway . Non-contiguous portions of Virginia Avenue are found in Southwest, paralleling the CSX railroad tracks, and Southeast, paralleling

588-404: Is tested by people with despicable ideas. And I loved the idea of looking a racist in the face—remember this was a time when racism was much more alive and well than it is today—and saying, 'I am your lawyer, sir, what are you going to do about that? ' " She worked as an adjunct assistant professor at New York University Law School from 1970 to 1971. In 1970, Mayor John Lindsay appointed her as

630-635: The Women's Rights Law Reporter (founded 1970), the first legal periodical in the United States to focus exclusively on the field of women's rights law. In the early 1970s, Norton was a signer of the Black Woman's Manifesto , a classic document of the Black feminist movement. Upon graduation from law school, she worked as a law clerk to Federal District Court Judge A. Leon Higginbotham Jr. In 1965, she became

672-719: The Congressional Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Black Caucus . On July 27, 2006, Norton appeared on the " Better Know a District " segment of Comedy Central 's The Colbert Report , in which she spiritedly defended the District of Columbia's claim to being a part of the United States. She also appeared on the joint The Colbert Report / The Daily Show " Midterm Midtacular " special on November 7, 2006. Norton gave further interviews to Stephen Colbert on March 22, 2007, and April 24, 2007, on

714-625: The National Honor Society . She attended Antioch College , graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in 1960, then Yale University , where she received a Master of Arts in American studies in 1963 and a Bachelor of Laws from Yale Law School in 1964. While in college and graduate school, Norton was active in the civil rights movement and an organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). By

756-534: The Southeast Freeway . As of February 2021, the District of Columbia Department of Transportation proposes bicycle lanes for Virginia Avenue NW between Constitution Avenue and the Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway. 38°53′47.1″N 77°2′55.4″W  /  38.896417°N 77.048722°W  / 38.896417; -77.048722 Eleanor Holmes Norton Eleanor Holmes Norton (born June 13, 1937)

798-544: The White House Peace Vigil inspired Norton to introduce the Nuclear Disarmament and Economic Conversion Act, which would require the United States to disable and dismantle its nuclear weapons at such time as all other nations possessing nuclear weapons do likewise. Norton has been introducing a version of the bill since 1994. Legislation strongly supported by Norton that would grant the District of Columbia

840-507: The FEIS revealed that DDOT issued an occupancy permit in 2012, granting CSX a right-of-way, before the review was complete. Delegate Norton requested an extension for the review period to allow residents more time to assess the impact of the project, but one was not granted. The FHWA issued a Record of Decision, approving the tunnel project on November 4, 2014. Lawsuits attempting to stop the project were denied in court decisions, and construction on

882-715: The House of Representatives and vote in committee, and to offer amendments in the Committee of the Whole , but are not allowed to take part in legislative floor votes. The district and four U.S. territories— Guam , American Samoa , the Northern Mariana Islands , and the U.S. Virgin Islands —send delegates to Congress; the Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico has the same rights as delegates. William Thomas and

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924-592: The Supreme Court's ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller , which she strongly opposed. On December 5, 2014, Norton appeared on Hannity to discuss the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri , on which she admitted she did not read the evidence of the case, but criticized the racial profiling of young African Americans. On October 2, 2014, ABC News reported that Norton, discussing her co-sponsorship of

966-697: The assistant legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union , a position she held until 1970. In 1970, Norton represented sixty female employees of Newsweek who had filed a claim with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that Newsweek had a policy of allowing only men to be reporters. The women won, and Newsweek agreed to allow women to be reporters. Norton specialized in freedom of speech cases, and her work included successfully arguing Carroll v. President & Commissioners of Princess Anne ,

1008-566: The chair of the EEOC in 1977; she became the first female head of the agency. Norton released the EEOC's first set of regulations outlining what constituted sexual harassment and declaring that sexual harassment was indeed a form of sexual discrimination that violated federal civil rights laws. She has also served as a senior fellow of the Urban Institute . Norton became a professor at Georgetown University Law Center in 1982. During this time, she

1050-406: The duration of her two-year term. In September 2010, the national press criticized Norton after the release of a voice message in which she solicited campaign funds from a lobbyist representing a project that she oversaw. Norton countered that the message was typical of appeals made by all members of Congress and that the call was made from campaign offices not paid for by taxpayers. In March 2012,

1092-562: The head of the New York City Human Rights Commission, and she held the first hearings in the country on discrimination against women. Prominent feminists from throughout the country came to New York City to testify, while Norton used the platform as a means of raising public awareness about the application of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to women and sex discrimination. President Jimmy Carter appointed Norton as

1134-552: The intensity of violence and Jim Crow repression in the South. Norton's time with the SNCC inspired her lifelong commitment to social activism and her sense of feminism. She contributed the piece "For Sadie and Maud" to the 1970 anthology Sisterhood is Powerful: An Anthology of Writings From The Women's Liberation Movement , edited by Robin Morgan . Norton was on the founding advisory board of

1176-724: The new tunnels also accused CSX, DDOT, and FHWA of rushing the project without properly addressing local concerns or exploring alternative options. Congressional Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton requested an expedited release of the FEIS in April 2014 to resolve the ongoing issue. The FHWA released the 2,639-page FEIS on June 13, 2014, which favored renovating and replacing the existing tunnel rather than rerouting trains through new lines in Southern Maryland. The FEIS offered some financial compensation to affected residents, though many felt it did not adequately address their concerns.. Appendix A of

1218-472: The prior 140 years and CSX needed to increase the capacity to allow double-stacked containers to pass through and to allow for traffic in both directions in preparation for expected increases in rail traffic due to the widening of the Panama Canal . Construction began in 2015 and the project completed in 2018. The new tunnels were extended to 12th St SE, where the old one had ended at 11th St. SE. The tunnel

1260-471: The project began in 2015. The first phase of the project was completed on December 23, 2016, when the first double-stack train passed through the newly constructed parallel tunnel. Work then began on removing the old tunnel and replacing it with a new, taller one. The full project was completed in fall 2018. 38°52′39″N 76°59′28″W  /  38.877399°N 76.9911°W  / 38.877399; -76.9911 Virginia Avenue Virginia Avenue

1302-473: The project's impact on the L'Enfant Plan . Supporters of the tunnel argued that the project was a case of NIMBYism, while critics dismiss these claims. Throughout the process, critics pointed to several concerns. An Environmental Protection Agency review noted several deficiencies in the DEIS, including issues related to environmental justice , health, and community impacts." Though CSX stated that it planned to use

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1344-519: The public radio series This American Life featured the voicemail message at the start of a program on lobbying titled "Take the Money and Run for Office". In May 2012, Norton was blocked from testifying on an anti-abortion bill in her district—the second time she has been blocked from speaking about abortion. She insisted that it was a denial of a common courtesy. Representative Jerrold Nadler supported Norton's protest, saying "Never in my 20 years as

1386-416: The south. The tunnel was built using the cut and cover method. It was constructed of ashlar stone for the sidewalls, and brick and stone for the arches. In 1904 the tunnel was extended to its present length due to a track relocation. Initially the tunnel served both freight and passenger service until Union Station's opening in 1908, and since that time it has been freight-only. The tunnel's second track

1428-466: The subject of representation in the District of Columbia. On February 12, 2008, Colbert and Norton discussed her status as a superdelegate as well as her support of Barack Obama for president. She appeared once again on February 11, 2009, to discuss D.C. representation and promised Colbert that she would make him an honorary citizen of Washington, D.C., and give him a key to the city, if D.C. citizens were given representation. Colbert in turn gave Norton

1470-523: The team name she would support legislation that would change the NFL's tax status thereby costing the league money. Eleanor Holmes Norton is portrayed by Joy Bryant in Amazon Video 's original series Good Girls Revolt and by Donna Biscoe in the HBO original movie Confirmation . She is featured in the feminist history film She's Beautiful When She's Angry . She is portrayed by Ayana Workman in

1512-486: The time she graduated from Antioch, she had already been arrested for organizing and participating in sit-ins in Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Ohio. While in law school, she traveled to Mississippi for the Mississippi Freedom Summer and worked with civil rights stalwarts such as Medgar Evers . Her first encounter with a recently released but physically beaten Fannie Lou Hamer forced her to bear witness to

1554-455: Was Donna Brazile . The delegate position was open because Del. Walter Fauntroy was running for mayor rather than seeking reelection. Norton received 39 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary election, and 59 percent of the vote in the general election. Norton took office on January 3, 1991, and has been reelected every two years since. Delegates to Congress are entitled to sit in

1596-508: Was a vocal anti-apartheid activist in the U.S., and was a part of the Free South Africa Movement . In 1990, Norton, along with 15 other African American women and one man, formed African-American Women for Reproductive Freedom . She contributed the piece "Notes of a Feminist Long Distance Runner" to the 2003 anthology Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium , edited by Robin Morgan . She received

1638-729: Was constructed in 1870–1872, and finished on January 13, 1872, by the B&;P and later controlled by the Pennsylvania Railroad (PRR). It originally served the B&;P station on the present-day site of the National Gallery of Art , on the National Mall at 6th & B Street NW (today's Constitution Avenue ) and was part of a branch line between Bowie and Alexandria that gave the PRR access to DC and

1680-813: Was expected in spring 2013, but did not come until 2014. CSX released its Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Virginia Avenue Tunnel project in July 2013. During the comment period, many local residents and organizations, including Casey Trees , the Capitol Hill Restoration Society (CHRS), the Sierra Club , and the Committee of 100 on the Federal City , expressed concerns. CHRS highlighted potential negative impacts on historic structures, economic effects on Barracks Row, and concerns about

1722-453: Was removed in 1936 to accommodate electrification and increasingly large railroad equipment. In 2008, CSX proposed to modify or replace the tunnel to provide room for a second track and sufficient height to allow use of double-stack freight cars and autoracks . The railroad also planned to address the tunnel's deteriorated structure, in particular its cracked masonry and failing drainage system. CSX initially sought government funding in

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1764-458: Was the first female chair of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission . Norton was born in Washington, D.C. , the daughter of Vela ( née Lynch), a schoolteacher, and Coleman Holmes, a civil servant. She attended Dunbar High School , a school famous for educating black children, as a member of its last segregated class. She was elected the junior class president and graduated as a member of

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