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A new 23,000-square-foot public library is coming to Congress Heights Metro station as part of a joint development project that will also overhaul transit infrastructure and improve connections to the St. Elizabeths East campus.

The District is investing $15 million in transit and infrastructure upgrades designed to support housing and economic development, strengthen multimodal connections and create a new community destination beside the station.

Work will replace and reconfigure the Congress Heights bus loop, allowing Sycamore Street and 13th Street to extend to Alabama Avenue SE. Planned improvements include seven bus bays, two layover spaces, new shelters, lighting and sidewalks.

The project will also add curbside pickup and drop-off areas and a traffic signal at the bus loop exit. The redesigned layout is intended to improve bus operations and access to the surrounding community and the 183-acre St. Elizabeths East development.

Reconfiguring the loop will open space for a full-service DC Public Library branch. Library construction is expected to begin later this year after work on the new bus loop gets underway.

Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke said the library and transit improvements would strengthen the community and create lasting opportunities for residents while advancing redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths campus.

The project expands Metro’s partnership with DC Public Library. The agencies are also planning a library at Deanwood station as part of a larger mixed-use development.

Metro says its joint development program has produced more than 60 developments across the region, adding housing, employment, retail and community spaces while generating more than $230 million in annual tax revenue.