Capitol Crossing will soon begin to go vertical, after Property Group Partners announced completion of the first phase of construction for the elevated deck above I-395 yesterday.

Work will now continue on the first of five buildings, 200 Massachusetts Ave NW, a 400k SF mixed-use building with 30k SF of ground-level retail. The building is scheduled to be completed in 2018. Above, Property Group Partners regional VP Bob Braunohler speaks about the project.

After decades of planning, Capitol Crossing broke ground on the $1.3B project in May 2015. The project will reconnect Capitol Hill and East End, currently divided by I-395, and is the largest private development underway in DC.

“Just one year ago this project of enormous regional significance began. Its importance both to private business as well as our city is clear from the decision of Property Group Partners to undertake the project entirely with private funds,” Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said in a release. “Today, this unprecedented project is moving full steam ahead with many more new and exciting milestones on the horizon. We’re beginning to see a new neighborhood come to life.”

The second building at 250 Massachusetts Ave will follow soon after the first is delivered.