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       A hazardous D.C. intersection once informally referred to as “Dave Thomas Circle” will be renamed to honor female African American baseball pioneer Mamie “Peanut” Johnson, officials said Wednesday.

       For decades, drivers were stymied by confusing, congested traffic in Northeast Washington where First Street and New York and Florida avenues converged around a Wendy’s restaurant that closed in 2021. Though it wasn’t exactly a traffic circle, the area was unlovingly referred to as “Dave Thomas Circle” in a nod to the founder of the fast-food restaurant that was at its center.

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       The circle, which is undergoing a $41 million renovation that includes green space, will hereafter be called “Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson Plaza” after more than 4,300 residents voted for the change, D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) said in a statement. Johnson, who settled in Washington in the 1940s and pitched in the Negro Leagues in the 1950s, died in 2017.

       “Our community is ready to start a new chapter at this intersection, and we are off to a strong start by naming it after such an iconic woman,” Bowser said in the statement. “Mamie ‘Peanut’ Johnson was a pioneer. Now, it is fitting that her name will represent these new spaces where residents and visitors can rest and play.”

       The change comes after voters chose to honor Johnson over four other options, according to the mayor’s office:

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       Douglass Crossing, after abolitionist Frederick Douglass. People’s Plaza, to recognize Peoples Drug Stores — a chain headquartered in the D.C. region that had a warehouse in the circle — and to emphasize that the new space belongs to the people of the District. Three Stars Plaza, after the stars on the D.C. flag. And Tiber Gateway, representing Tiber Creek, which ran near First Street NE and is now diverted underground.

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       Johnson, the first female pitcher in the Negro Leagues, won with 40 percent of the vote, according to a statement from the NoMa Business Improvement District. The name must still be approved by the D.C. Council, the mayor’s office said.

       Johnson played alongside men on the Indianapolis Clowns, the team that launched the career of Hall of Famer Hank Aaron. At 5-foot-4 and less than 120 pounds during her career, Johnson earned her nickname after an unfriendly opponent observed that, when she stood on the mound, she looked no bigger than a peanut.

       Johnson then struck the batter out, she said.

       “I worked just as hard as the fellas,” she told The Washington Post. “I pitched nine innings just like everybody else. Some fellas acted ugly, but when they found out I was a ballplayer instead of some gimmick, they accepted us.”

       Construction work begins at infamous Dave Thomas Circle intersection

       The newly christened plaza, due to be completed in December 2024, will add two-way traffic to First Street NE, restore two-way traffic on Florida Avenue NE and include protected bicycle lanes and three new public park spaces, according to the mayor’s office.

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       “These three new green spaces will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and the mobility and safety improvements resulting from this overall roadway reconfiguration project will benefit everyone who lives, works, visits, and passes through this area of northeast DC,” Maura Brophy, president of the NoMa Business Improvement District, said in a statement.

       This is not the first time the city has honored Johnson. A baseball field at the Rosedale Recreation Center in Northeast Washington was named for her in 2013.

       “I wasn’t no baby doll,” Johnson once said. “No girlie girl. Baseball was all I knew. And I loved it.”

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