Major GW Parkway upgrades near end, but other work ahead
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Map of the project area on the northern segment of GW Parkway next to historic images of the parkway. Images: National Park Service
A major phase of the years-long repaving project on the George Washington Parkway is finally winding down. And now the National Park Service will focus on rehabbing the roadway's trademark views.
Why it matters: Relief for hordes of commuters is here.
Yes, but: Bringing back the scenic vistas of the Potomac and D.C. will still take some TLC.
State of play: Since 2023, NPS has had a heavy-duty rebuilding project going along 7.6 miles of the parkway between Spout Run and the Beltway.
- Commuters on the northern end have suffered through the worst of it (see: temporary reversible lanes and reduced speed limits), and the project is now wrapping up.
- 👀 It was the first time that stretch had been rehabilitated since it was originally completed in the 1960s, Jennifer Mello, superintendent at NPS, said at a meeting of the National Capital Planning Commission last week.
With that segment nearing completion, a repaving project began on the southern section, from Spout Run to Alexandria, with traffic lanes impacted during the day, ArlNow reported.
What's ahead: NPS is presenting several options to restore and manage 15 vistas on a 2.65-mile segment of the parkway.
- One option would re-establish the "most striking and dramatic views" of the Potomac River Gorge through regular mowing and landscape maintenance, per proposals submitted to the NCPC.
- Other options would prioritize only a handful of vistas, taking a lighter touch on the rest of the forested landscape, leaving plants to grow back naturally over time.
The upshot would be "unobstructed vantages over the Potomac River" and D.C.'s monumental core, NPS says.
- For example, one vista flagged by NPS is currently filled with invasive vines that obstruct views of Georgetown University's Healy Hall Clock Tower.
- Some tree removals were already part of the rehab project that started in 2023.
Flashback: When it opened in 1932, the parkway was meant to commemorate the 200th birthday of George Washington, dubbed a "patriotic pilgrimage" connecting Mount Vernon to the capital.