More bathrooms coming to the National Mall? Project could start by 2026

National Mall may finally get new restrooms

A new project that proposes building 12 new restrooms along the National Mall is set to be presented to the National Capital Planning Commission in early October. FOX 5's Josh Rosenthal has the story.

WASHINGTON - The National Mall is a great place to go. Unless that is, well, you have to go.

"We haven’t added any [restrooms] in the last 50 years, the ones that we have are certainly starting to show their age, so this is a project that is long overdue," explained National Mall spokesperson Mike Litterst.

The project is set to be presented to the National Capital Planning Commission in early October. It proposes building 12 new restrooms along the Mall, while also replacing three existing ones.

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Currently, there are nine public restrooms along the Mall. However, none of them are east of 15th Street NW. That’s a stretch of the mall that essentially runs from the Washington Monument to the Capitol.

"We’re getting upwards of 35 million visitors a year, and to be able to provide those basic comforts and necessities for visitors. It’s a very high priority for us," said Litterst, who added that the total cost of the project, as well as a funding source, has yet to be determined. "Like anything that gets added to the Mall, it goes through the scrutiny of the Commission of Fine Arts, the National Capital Planning Commission. Once we clear that, then we’ll get into the planning and the execution."

Litterst said if the project is approved, it would be completed in phases, and the earliest any construction would begin is in 2026.